In the Sight of Many
by Methrindal
Summary: During the Hare's feast, and with little time to spare, Subaru panics and heads straight for the witch's tomb. Stricken of his power to redo, and doomed to a twisted timeline, Subaru finds himself struggling to keep going. With only one more reason to keep on living in such a world, he tries to find his way. Canon to Arc 4, Chapter 68.
1. Under the Mercy of Few

**Under the Mercy of Few**

 **. . .**

 _In those silent shades of grey_

 _I will find a place_

 _To escape the endless night_

 _To find a new sun_

He had been running for his life for some time before he reached the cave. He was panting hoarsely, with his heart pounding heavily in his chest, and his stomach feeling so sick that he could taste the bile rising into his throat. Nonetheless, he pressed on, dragging his tired and battered body through the entrance of the ancient tomb, which enveloped him in its welcomed shadow.

His incessant shivering gave way to the warmth of the cavern, as he felt a small measure of heat return to his frozen body. He stared with two wide eyes, which were unblinking, and with pupils so dark and blank that they appeared almost lifeless. He fell to his knees in a pitiless fashion, uncaring of their condition, which were iced over to the point that they almost couldn't function.

His thoughts were equally dull and depressant.

She was here, but his vision was failing him. Hazily, he stood with the last bit of strength that he could muster, and he crept in the direction of the light. His clumsy footsteps provided a vibration of a dull thud which bounced off the winding corridor.

"—Subaru?"

As he heard that wonderful crystalline chime, it beckoned to his faded senses like a dinner bell. He followed the direction from whence it rung so beautifully. As he had done so, he felt his strength return to him, and the heat of his body envelope him in a brilliant blaze of fire.

"Emhh…" his mouth went to speak her precious name, but no discernible words came from it.

He heard soft footsteps approaching him swiftly. Sure enough, before him laid bare a most serene and innocent sight. Who stood there was the silver-haired, doe eyed half-elf to which his plight began.

At the sight of Subaru, she rushed to his side and took hold of his hand, to which he returned more than kindly. Taking notice of Subaru's state, she gasped softly at the severity of his condition. Her amethyst orbs glistened in the moonlight which pierced its way through the darkness of the tomb. Her face was contorted in a worried manner, much like that of a mother concerned about her child. She gripped his hand tighter, but was surprised when she felt his weak grip grow stronger.

"We ha—have to go, Emilia." he stuttered on his newfound voice. The bitter cold which so silenced him before dissipated at an alarming rate, partly to do with the proximity of his partner and the warmth of the air. "Now!" he begged.

Without a word he stood and took her hand in an almost violent manner, and began to turn on his heel toward the exit of the tomb. But without question, she followed quietly, knowing that now wasn't the time for argument.

The brevity of the situation was lost to her, but she felt an unfathomable amount of pain and suffering emanating from Subaru's every movement. Pensively, she gently squeezed Subaru's hand in the most tender and apologetic way she could.

In a subtle moment, she noticed him slightly turn his head, and for a moment his eye contacted hers. His hazel brown eyes clashed swiftly, almost unnoticeably, with her swirling purple orbs. For an instant she felt his heavy and weary gaze push her down with unbearable weight, and then he faced forward and continued his march of solitude.

As the pair exited the tomb, they were met with a cold chill which sent a horrendous shiver down Emilia's spine. Snow graced the ground, and the trees were frozen in an otherworldly manner. This had to be the work of a powerful user of magic, she deduced quietly to herself. The fall of snow was noticeably fading however, signifying an end to the inclement spell, but the freezing air remained howling wildly.

Subaru stood silently, Emilia's hand still entrapped by his vice grip. He appeared to be listening out for something, but Emilia didn't quite understand who or why things were happening as they were.

Subaru listened intently, but only heard the shrill call of the whistling wind. "We still have time." he spoke darkly.

Turning to Emilia, Subaru reached into his pack and withdrew a familiar cloak. It was Emilia's old cloak, adorned with purple cat ears and all.

"My cloak!" Emilia said. "Where did you get it?"

"No time for explanations." Subaru responded. He held out his hand, and in it the cloak. "Take this and put it on. This may very well be the only way."

Emilia nodded gingerly and gently took the cloak from his hands. She wrapped it around her body and pulled the hood over her head. The cloak was specially imbued with magic to obscure the identity of those who wore it, except to those she desired to reveal her identity to. In this case, only Subaru would be able to tell who exactly she was, and to others, she appeared to be a regular human girl.

"Come on, hurry." Subaru took her hand again and began to run madly across the thick sheets of snow.

In the distance, she heard an ear-splitting shriek, possibly from some sort of demon beast. She felt Subaru grip her hand even tighter, and he began to pace himself even faster than before, which was already almost to a sprint. Through the heavy snow, it was difficult to traverse indeed, but even so they kept running, and running, out into the moonlit night sky under the infinum of stars. The smell of smoke was heavily laden in the air, as was the baleful smell of death.

Every now and then, Emilia would hear a blood-curdling scream coming from the dark forest which surround them, but Subaru would pay no heed, nor would he divert his attention from wherever he was taking her. This behavior was so unlike the Subaru that she knew, that she even felt a little scared. Although, she wasn't scared for herself, but scared for Subaru, for what he was carrying on his shoulders alone, and without her help. It pained her heart to be as utterly useless as she was. Her breath was becoming more and more labored as they made their way, with the icy cool current of air biting at her lungs, threatening to stifle its function. Breathing was indeed becoming a difficult affair, and no doubt Subaru was fairing even worse than she, but something not unlike pure madness drove him to fight through his ailments.

After some time, the two were becoming more and more wary as the elements bore down on them with an utterly heinous fury. Even so, Subaru's eyes widened sharply. His goal was in sight.

They began to approach the magical barrier of Sanctuary. He prayed that the cloak would mask Emilia's existence as a half. It was the only chance they had, and it was the last-ditch effort that Subaru so haphazardly came up with in his madness. Maybe, just maybe, this one idea would come to fruition. In this hell that he had been damned to, there was still one last glitter of hope left, and he held her hand so tightly, channeling every ounce of pain and suffering he had endured into her. It was unintentional, but he couldn't mask it any longer. He bit back a curse he so wanted to let out. His eyes could not shed any tears because they were so dry, and so bitten from the icy wind. Nevertheless, he gripped Emilia's small, frail hand even harder, and pressed on.

As he passed through the invisible barrier, Emilia began to feel light-headed, but even so she kept her composure and followed his footsteps carefully. Clearly, the magical cloak she wore found itself at odds with the magical nature of the barrier erected around Sanctuary. Normally, a half who dared to come close to the barrier found themselves lost to the world, as the barrier kept their spirits trapped forever inside of the barrier. It appeared the cloak really did mask her presence to the magical barrier. It was imbued with powerful magic indeed.

For the first time, Subaru smiled to himself, but out of view of Emilia that so she couldn't see. It wasn't a smile of happiness, or joy, as he couldn't muster to bring himself to feel any such thing after the events that had transpired. It was a smile of sheer and utter turmoil. Turmoil at the fact that they had the hope to escape the bitter cold death the rest of the people of Sanctuary were suffering.

Subaru mourned his friends. Truthfully, he didn't want to go on living anymore, but he couldn't leave Emilia to die alone in that lonely tomb, and to suffer a death so brutal and maniacal as to be eaten alive by the Sizeable Hare. It was a death that he had once experienced, and one that he couldn't bare to let happen to the innocent girl he swore to protect. The depths of his sufferings were almost unbearable. His loss of the power to redo, so sudden and so unexplained, damned him to this forsaken purgatory forever. But while his silver-haired maiden still drew breath, he couldn't resign himself to the sweet surrender of death so easily as Roswaal L. Mathers did. No, he would find a way to make things right, even with his back against the wall such as it was. He had to be that way, he couldn't give up, if only to respect the memory of those that he lost.

He felt a weight pull him back, impeding his step.

Turning to face what kept him from their salvation, he saw Emilia, almost unconscious from exhaustion. She had collapsed to the snow, clearly struggling to breath. Subaru, not fairing much better himself, grimaced deeply, and knelt beside her shivering body. Even with the cloak, she still suffered the effects of hypothermia. Subaru was almost in the same shape, but he had grown a little more accustomed to the devilish chill than she had. He looked to the North. Behind them was Sanctuary, a killing-field for the Sizeable Hare. They had to get away from here, and fast, lest the vile famished Hare seek them out as well.

He had to protect her. He had to save her. He had to! There was no other reason for his existence now.

Channeling what little strength he had left, Subaru braced her motionless body and hoisted her above his shoulders. Luckily enough, her petite frame did not prove to be an insurmountable task for even the likes of Subaru to accomplish.

He took a step and stumbled, catching himself before he fell. Cursing to himself, he tried again, trudging slowly through the snow, and yet again taking another step, and another step...and another. One after another, Subaru swore to his soul.

"I will…" he whispered hoarsely to himself. What came next was unintelligible amongst the howling shriek of the blistering wind.

After some time, the moonlit sky began to give way to sunrise, and the horrible night was suddenly vanquished in a brilliant maroon red which began to peak itself over the green trees. By now, the snow had all but melted, as the magic which created the environment had long since been silenced. You could even hear birds chirping and other wildlife creating their morning sounds. It was as if they had stepped into another world entirely. A peaceful green world opposite of the bleak, cold hell they found themselves entrapped in just the night before.

Subaru didn't know how long he had been walking. He didn't quite care. Even as his body should have shut down from exhaustion long ago, he kept going, he kept willing himself to not give up. He still carried the motionless girl on his back. By now she was softly sleeping, as he could feel the tickle of her even breath on the back of his neck. Her arms were wrapped gently around his neck, and he carried her from underneath her legs. He would have liked to rest, but honestly, he did not want to disturb her peaceful sleep so locked away from this terrible world.

As the warmth returned to the air in brilliant style, Subaru breathed a deep sigh of relief. He hadn't seen a sign of the Sizeable Hare since they made it across the Sanctuary Barrier. He wasn't sure why the Hare had ceased its brutal attack, but he didn't quite care anyway. He was just glad to have escaped that hellish nightmare, as selfish and inconsiderate as it was. He was powerless now, he couldn't redo, and he couldn't just go back and fix things like before. He was just a normal human being now. It was because of this, he couldn't throw away his life so recklessly. This was the final chance, the final timeline, as doomed as it was. He had to make the best of it anyway.

Subaru didn't know exactly where they were going, but all he knew that anywhere was better than where they were coming from. As the cool air had completely dissipated, Subaru had decided that maybe it was time for a little rest. He took a short path off the road next to a large old tree, adorned with winding moss hanging from its many branches. Finding some soft green grass, he decided that this was a good spot to relax a little bit. He gently knelt and lowered the sleeping girl in his arms down to the ground, laying her on the velvety smooth grass.

The shade provided by the tree was calming indeed. There was a gentle breeze in the air much unlike the violent blistering wind from the night before. The weather was agreeable, and the sun began to peak over the trees of the beautiful forest. The boy breathed in deeply, absorbing the atmosphere, and let out a haggard sigh.

He looked down at the sleeping beauty. Her elegant, rounded visage made it appear that nothing had ever transpired at all. Indeed, she was unaware of the events that had happened, and she had invested her trust in Subaru to take care of her even though she didn't fully understand why he had taken her the way he did. She had put her innermost trust in him, and for that, he felt a warmth overtake his body at the realization she had surrendered herself to him in all her innocence.

"—Emilia…" he cooed her name softly as he went to move her silver bangs from her eyes.

Her eyes were heavy, even though she slept soundly. No doubt she was wary from attempting the trial so much and without rest. His eyes narrowed, as he noticed the glowing green crystal at the base of her neck was unusually dull and lifeless. There was a small crack at the tip of the crystal.

Subaru went to touch the crystal, but as he made contact with the lifeless thing, he felt nothing.

"Puck." he called out the vaunted spirit's name. There was no response.

If Puck was gone forever, surely their situation was even worse than he could have imagined. Subaru was almost powerless compared to most of his adversaries, and now Emilia may have lost a good amount of her power and familial support as well.

" _Even you can be like me."_

Subaru stepped back slightly at the memory of Roswaal's dying decree. It rung in his head, beckoning him to give in to madness, like that man had. He had gambled everything, even his life, on Subaru's power to redo. The memory of the Hare ripping him to pieces, eating him alive, was fresh in his mind. What utter madness had taken over that man. Now that power he relied so heavily on ceased to exist for reason's he could not explain. He could say the few words, and with no repercussions.

"I can return by death!" he declared to no one in particular, with no ill effect or consequence.

That sinister spirit which resided within him, was seemingly gone without explanation or cause. Subaru considered the possibility of suicide, to end it once and for all. His tiny meaningless existence only had the importance that it did because of the one power that gave him an advantage over anyone else, and now that was gone too. Of course, if he killed himself, would not return like before.

He would be dead.

Feeling the dark thoughts of death welcoming him into its loving embrace, he peered down at the sleeping angel before him. Again, he remembered why he kept pushing himself to keep going in this evil world. He was doing it for her. It was a selfish reason. He wasn't doing it for himself, he wasn't doing it for those that he lost. That was only an excuse, he realized. He was just doing it for her. She was his final link to this damnable world that had made him suffer like no other.

Subaru fell to his knees next to the motionless half-elf. He may have fell a bit too close, because Emilia's eyes slowly lidded open, revealing her vibrant amethyst eyes. Her emerald pupils narrowed at the somber boy who knelt before her. Without him noticing, she carefully sat up, and reached out her hand to clasp his.

"—Subaru?" she called him, his name rolling from her mouth like a gently flowing river. She carefully fingered his lifeless hand with her own.

A chime from the sweetest bell broke him from his dismal trance. He looked up from the grassy knoll, and locked eyes with the exotic beauty which cascaded his every thought. Instantly, he felt his heart stop, and his throat began to swell, rendering him unable to speak. His eyes began to well up, and a lone tear escaped down his cheek.

It was intercepted by a compassionate finger.

"Subaru." she cooed his name again, gently stroking his face.

Tears were flowing freely now from his stricken eyes. She cradled his head in her arms and led him down to her lap where he found peace where none could give it. In utter resignation, he collapsed into her, all the emotions that he had been holding in, escaped freely with reckless abandon. He was almost wailing like a small child against her now. She could feel her skirt becoming damp from his sadness. In his despair, she brought her mouth within an inch of his ear, and sung sweet nothings to him in her own desperate effort to calm him. She stroked his hair back and forth, and drew sweet circles on his convulsing back.

At her tender embrace, Subaru exposed himself in all his grief. The soft melody of her soothing voice threatened to lull him to sleep. He felt the hair stand up on the back of his neck, and a comforting warmth overtook him. The deaths of his friends caused him such insurmountable grief, of her friends too, even if she didn't know it. He didn't know how to tell her. Maybe she already knew, maybe she could sense it emanating from his own anguish, from every cry that escaped his mouth. Even so, if she knew, she still had to be strong, so she could bring comfort to him.

Any the case, he didn't care. He welcomed her soft and loving touch. He wanted to bury himself in her, to fall asleep, and never wake up. In her arms, his sleep would be without nightmare, without visions of death and destruction. It would be a fitful sleep with only the memory of her enchanting smile which brought the deepest warmth to his being, even so stricken by the pain of loss. That was her power over him, that was her spell to which she had cast upon him.

While Subaru released the agony of the world upon her small frame, Emilia blinked, letting a little, single solitary tear of her own sneak by. It fell wistfully onto Subaru's hand as he desperately clung to her legs. In an instant, Subaru's cries ceased, his convulsions coming to an unexpected end. He slowly withdrew his face from the comforting escape of her lap, and with a keen eye, looked up at the woman who held him. Her gorgeous amethyst eyes were sprinkled with small tear droplets, ready to fall at any moment. Even so, she held them dutifully, as Subaru's still fell solemnly.

In an instant, his hand cupped her cheek, and in another, his lips covered her own.

Beneath the lush canopy of ancient trees, two lovers went largely unnoticed by the inhabitants of the forest. Squirrels nestled deeply in their warm burrows, birds fluttered throughout the air, playing their joyful games and singing their songs, and the deer frolicked amongst themselves, enjoying the peaceful blue skies which graced them.

Through all of this, the two continued their elaborate dance, ignorant of all the sufferings and happenings of the world which surround them.

Subaru knelt forward, deepening his kiss, quickly becoming intoxicated with the sweet scent and taste of his partner who he so loved dearly. Her glowing amethyst orbs were still speckled with tears, but still they did not fall. As he continued, she lidded her eyes shut, as a small, pleasurable moan escaped her. Subaru didn't know specifically how long they had been locked together like this, but he wanted more, and more. As Subaru breathed heavily through his nose, tickling Emilia with his desperate breath, she remained still, holding her own breath ever so diligently. Noticing this, Subaru ceased his wanton and unexpected romance to allow her some sort of breath.

Emilia panted hoarsely as she laid back against the base of the tree, her normally rose-colored cheeks now painted a bright shade of red. As she recuperated her senses, Subaru continued to stare her down with a lustful gaze.

She looked nothing short of mesmerizing as she laid against that old wise tree, whose branches jutted out over them like ballerinas in step. Her glistening vibrant eyes reflected brightly in the sun, and her silver hair flowed gently in the wind. She was truly something so otherworldly beautiful that he couldn't find a competent way to describe her using only words.

He himself was full of wild emotion, from pure sadness one moment to a bashful joy in another. The best way to describe his current self was pure uncontrollable mania. Emilia however, did not bore an expression of anger, or dismay, but of a serene innocence. She blinked inquisitively at Subaru, seemingly trying to read his mind, or see why he had come at her with such eager hunger as he did. She breathed short, quick heavy breaths as she stared him down, possibly somewhat disappointed that he ended their dance so abruptly.

Noticing this, he quickly crawled over to her, placing his hand on her own, interlacing their fingers together perfectly.

He had never felt so much uncontrollable desire for anyone in his entire life, his intense yearning for her overcoming his normally pragmatic self. He pressed himself desperately against her petite frame and his mouth orbited hungrily in the direction of her pale creamy neck.

Emilia, just recovering from his prior advances on her, did not expect another one, but it wasn't completely unwelcomed nor was it unpleasant. She let out another sigh, which contained a mixture between excitement, pleasure, and confusion. Simultaneously, Subaru began playfully kissing her neck, tenderly taking in every bit of her that he could while lost in the heat of the moment. He absorbed her taste, her smell, and her touch, as every bit of her was so intoxicating that he felt himself unable to stop. Her heat enraptured him, encasing him a pleasurable ball of fire.

For her, his kiss excited her just as much, as it was unlike anything she had ever felt before. She didn't know why this was happening, but she couldn't bring herself to stop his playful advances, and so she gripped his hand harder, and pressed pleasingly into Subaru, her too, beginning to lose herself in the moment.

As he felt her press herself into him in such a receptive response he did not expect, Subaru almost lost himself right then and there. Instantly, he found himself dancing from the cream of her neck, to the side of her jaw, to her ears, and back to her parted lips. It was a momentous feeling, and it felt nothing short of a small piece of heaven within this hellish world.

"Subhh—" she partially mouthed his name as he further explored her mouth. His hand traveled to the nape of her neck to gently tip her head back, so he could maybe delve even deeper. Growing bolder, Subaru clearly had lost all semblance of thought into what he was currently doing.

Suddenly, one of the lone tears that she held up until this point, escaped quietly down her cheek.

As Subaru felt the heat of its touch, and its admittedly salty taste, it momentarily released him from the dreamscape of a world he had escaped to. His eyes widened at the shock of what he was doing. Shock began to replace itself with anger, anger replaced itself with grief, grief at himself for his reckless actions. As he stared into her tearful eyes, he cursed himself for his insolence in taking advantage of her fragile and susceptible state of mind. Even still she stared at him with the same innocence and purity that she always did. What had he done?

" _I'm despicable."_ He didn't say it aloud, but he wanted to.

She lay against the mossy tree breathlessly, splayed out and still, like a deer alert in the forest. Confused at why Subaru had ceased his actions, her emerald pupils were dilated to an enormous size from the excitement which took over her every thought. She noticed his aura was much different than it was just moments before. Now, his eyes were again dark and full of sadness and his perpetual grimace had returned to grace his heavy features.

Mistaking her confused innocence for displeasure, Subaru used it to further justify why his vain futility. He quickly stood, and with heavy steps he turned and walked off, clearly beside himself.

Noticing this, Emilia stood and with haste, she gathered herself. She quickly followed him and in a small gesture of reassurance, she took hold of his hand. Subaru immediately froze, as if he was caught in a bear-trap.

"Subaru, why?" she questioned him. "What is happening? Why did we leave everyone at Sanctuary? Please tell me, please! I don't understand what's happening, or why we are here." It was a plea for the truth, and as she mouthed something else, it was all but lost to his ears, since everything went dark.

He felt a cold chill overtake his body, a brutal, merciless snap back to the reality which beset them. It was as if all the hot blood in his body began to dissipate, and with it the warmth as well.

It was Emilia's nature to allow others to take precedent over herself. Subaru knew that, and yet even so he was still somewhat disappointed at her question. Amidst all the pain of remembrance from the night before, he still held his reverence of her over everyone else. He truly was disgusting, he thought to himself again. Why did he always feel sorry for himself? Maybe he just wanted to be acknowledged by the last person alive who mattered to him. The only reason he still drew breath.

He flinched as he felt her hand squeeze his gently to awake him from his inner chastisement. Turning to face her, he locked eyes with her amethyst orbs yet again, exposing his inner turmoil to her. Accidentally letting his guard down, he noticed her face contort into one filled with both concern and understanding.

Holding both of his hands now, she silently begged him for an answer. He really couldn't hide his emotions from her. It wasn't possible. He had to tell her anyway, he couldn't hide it from her any longer. He narrowed his eyes at her, and his mouth went to speak, although there was a slight pause as a small gust of wind ruffled the feathers of the forest.

"They are all gone," he said, looking down as he uttered the words. He wasn't man enough to look her in the eye as her heart broke. "They were killed by the Sizeable Hare. Roswaal, Ram, Beatrice, everyone at Sanctuary is gone, and everyone at the mansion was murdered too."

He fell to his knees in defeat, still avoiding eye contact with Emilia. He hadn't heard a sound from her since he admitted the truth, as all he heard was the shallow breeze flowing through the trees, and the occasional chirp from the birds.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." he cried, as he resigned himself to sorrow. It was all he could do to keep from breaking down right here and now in front of her. He had to be stronger, he had to-

A soft hand cupped his cheek, breaking his thought.

"Subaru," she spoke softly. It was almost eerie how calm her voice was, as if nothing had happened at all. He slowly looked up at her angelic face. "You've been through a lot, haven't you?" The gentleness of her lullaby contrasted heavily with the bleak thoughts which plagued his mind.

"Emilia…" Subaru broke. His voice faltered, his body shook, and his face contorted in anguish. "Why…is it so terrible? Why? Rem… Ram… Everyone… Why? Emilia…"

By now he had latched onto her for dear life, like he was about to lose her forever. He gripped hard enough that he maybe would never let go. He surely didn't intend to. Tumultuous emotions blanketed his fragile mind. Indeed, he was the weak one. Emilia had to be strong for him, for now, she was his strength, as he was hers.

"I know…" she whispered soothingly into his ear, rocking him like a toddler.

A tear or two escaped her glistening eyes as well, silently mourning her own losses. But for now, she had to comfort the one who felt their deaths rested on his shoulders and his alone. The weight was unbearable to hold alone. Because of this, they would bear such a burden together.

"Please… listen to my voice, Subaru."

As he lay there in her lap, attentive to her sweet voice, she began to weave him a beautiful song. He couldn't quite understand her, as she seemingly sung it to him in a different language, but it was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard. It must have been the language of the angels, as its sophistication and elegance were unmatched. The purity and serenity of her voice captivated him, enchanting him under a mystical spell, and he began to lose himself in sweet surrender. Her voice was like the sound of the crystal-clear ocean, flowing endlessly until the end of time, or the singing voice of a songbird, flying freely through a mountain pass over an ancient azure river.

Fumbling to find the words to describe such a pure sound, Subaru tucked himself into her, and his eyes slowly began to close shut. For once, he felt some measure of peace.

As he resigned himself to lay in the angel's arms, she continued to sing her song to him long after he passed into the oblivion of sleep. His eyes were dried, and his breath was even now, no longer chaotic and full of agony. She stroked his forehead with every bit of love and tender care that she could conjure. She wanted to comfort him, be there for him, as he had been there for her. He had done so much for her, even if it came to the disastrous conclusion that it did. He sacrificed himself for her, his purity, and innocence. He was scarred now, she knew. It was all that she could do to be there for him in his darkest hour.

" _Sleep, my Knight."_ she wove every syllable into his ear with meticulous care.

Soon, she found herself nodding off as well, lost in the peaceful moment for which they shared. Maybe her claim for the throne had ended, maybe her journey to free her people was all but folly. It didn't matter anymore. The only thing that mattered to her now was this boy in her arms who had given her everything he had, and so, she would return the favor in the best way that she could. Her eyes lidded, once, twice, her grip on his hand loosening ever so slightly, even as his remained steadfast. In a moments time, beneath the brush of the luscious trees, Emilia fell fast asleep, in the arms of her hero.

If anyone dared to pass by a long and winding road southeast of Priestella, none would notice the two nestled beneath a wise tree just off the path. Only the wildlife of the forest came to see who their new visitors were, curious to see who had intruded upon their territory. But even they refused to disturb the two and their sacred rest.

Subaru's sleep, while calm and peaceful, was full of thought. In the dark depths of his mind, he pondered to himself a future with Emilia and Emilia alone. Was he selfish for that? Was he selfish to want to find a peace in this world when so many had suffered and died for nothing? He didn't quite understand or immediately find an answer to his questions, but even so in the deep underworld of his subconscious, he dreamed of love.

Amongst that wonderful dream of love, he heard a distant, but soothingly familiar voice.

 _I know which is my fate_

 _Bond to Erian's old tale_

 _I'll be always there_

 _Fighting the ancient sin_

 _Moon shine in this eternal night_

 _. . ._

Subaru was awoken by gentle drops of rain.

He blinked his eyes open, struggling to banish the sleep from his mind. He realized that the beautiful blue skies had been replaced by a bleak, smoldering grey sky. The sound of birds singing in the air, too had vanished. Now the happy sounds of toads excited by their newfound puddles had replaced them in large number. Eddies of rain began to fall from the trees from above, however, the large canopy which surrounded them provided ample shelter to keep them from the worst of the downpour.

Gathering his wits about him, Subaru sat up and shook Emilia gently. Her long dark lashes fluttered, and her eyes peaked open, revealing her gentle amethyst eyes. Smiling softly at her, the first real genuine smile he had in ages, Subaru took her hand and shrugged.

"Look at this weather," he quipped nonchalantly, as if she hadn't realized they were being rained on. "Shouldn't we get to someplace warm, Emilia?"

Returning his smile with one of her own, she nodded politely in agreement. "Of course." She stood with his help, brushing off her skirt. Noticing her apparent condition, she wouldn't mind a shower and a change of clothes as well. She pointed toward the west. "If we take this road a little further, we will come to the crossroads between the Capital and Priestella. Maybe we should go to Priestella?"

It was just a thought.

"Priestella, huh?" Subaru wondered. "Isn't that the port city between Kararagi, Gusteko, and the Vollachia Empire?" Maybe they could run away from Lugnica, far away from the troubles which plagued them?

Emilia nodded delicately. "Yes, Subaru." she said, appearing to be nervous, as if she was unsure on what she was about to say. "I want to get away from here. Now that Roswaal is gone, my sponsorship for the throne is gone with it. I don't have a reason to be here any longer."

Slowly, she reached her hand out to Subaru.

"Will y—you take me away from here?" she stuttered, revealing her unsurety.

Stunned, Subaru looked at her with slight apprehension. Was this Emilia he was speaking to, or was it the Emilia whose mind was made so fragile by Roswaal's machinations and deception? He couldn't tell for sure, but regardless, he would do her best to protect her in any way that he could. In an instant, he decided what he would do.

He took her hand. Emilia looked up at him with vibrant, emotional eyes.

"—Subaru…" she whispered softly. "You will support me?"

Subaru nodded. "Of course, Emilia. I will always be there for you. I made a promise, and I don't intend to break that promise."

It was the last promise he had left, to save her. All his other promises that he made had been broken, to others, and to himself. However, he could do nothing about it now. He had to pick up what he had and move on. This was the one promise that the rest of his promises were built upon.

At this, a warm, rosy color tinted her cheeks. "Thank you, Subaru," she whispered shyly, giving him her best bright smile that he so adored. "Thank you for being there for me."

"Let's get out of this rain, Emilia."

With her hand in his, he decided to take her far away from here, away from all the troubles of the world.

She looked wondrously up at him, and he met eyes with her.

"Let's go to Priestella." he said with resolve, and he looked forward.

She smiled softly at him, and with a step, they began their journey.

There were many winding paths and intricate roads that led them to their destination. However not all paths that led them to Priestella were the safest. Some were infested with beasts of all kinds, and others with bandits ready to pilfer anything a passing traveler had. It was because of this, that Emilia and Subaru had to tread more than carefully. With limited supplies, they needed a way to find food and shelter and fast. They would avoid the road to the Mathers Mansion, as Subaru knew what dangers awaited them there, regardless if Roswaal was dead or not. They would be wise to avoid the main road in general. So, Subaru chose to take the road less travelled, to escape attention that the unusual pair would bring.

Nobody sung high songs for halves in this area, and with her likeness to the Witch Satella, Emilia would most likely spend most of her public appearances concealed under the safety net of her magical cloak. Subaru didn't mind at all, in fact, the last thing he wanted was to bring attention to themselves. He wanted to disappear with Emilia, never to be seen again. That was the only way they were going to live any long and prosperous life together, as such a high number of evil agents clearly sought out Emilia for reasons he did not fully understand.

Between the path leading toward Arlam Village and the Flugel Crossroads, the pair found a long-abandoned road, whose crooked path looped in and out like a snake. By now, the weather had long since deteriorated into a murky bog of a storm. It was because of this that the pair met very few travelers on the roads, as all the sensible merchants and vagabonds were nestled comfily in warm shelter.

The surrounding forests were shrouded in a misty fog as thick as the sheets of ice they traversed just the night before.

"Ah… If only we had a dragon carriage!" Subaru exclaimed to no one in particular.

Emilia chuckled quietly to herself behind him.

He really missed Patrasche. Hopefully that loyal girl made it out of the massacre by the Hare. His memory briefly took him back to when he found the loyal beast trapped in the stables at the Mathers Mansion. He had ridden her back to Sanctuary before letting her go, as she could not traverse the frozen hell created by Roswaal.

He remember the haunted memories of Petra and Frederica. The violence of their deaths, and the despair it brought.

He shook his head to release them from his thoughts.

"Maybe we can hitch a ride with someone?" Emilia added innocently, thankfully breaking him from his momentary return to grief. "There's always someone willing to pick up a gir-"

"No, no, no." Subaru gestured in disagreement. "We should avoid contact with anyone for now. I don't want anyone to know where we are or who we are. It's safest for us that way."

"Okay!" Emilia nodded quickly in agreement. Now that she thought about it, it would be extremely important to conceal her identity to everyone but Subaru. Cautiously, she adjusted the hood she wore back over her long pointy ears, concealing them from view.

Feeling his stomach growl profusely, Subaru grimaced. He hadn't eaten for what felt like days now. He was certain Emilia hadn't eaten either, as she had locked herself away for days at a time in the tomb, endlessly attempting the trial until she could do no more. He looked back at her, watching her keep pace quietly behind him. She seemed to be at ease, and she clearly wasn't in anymore distress than he was.

She truly was amazing. Her strength seemed to grow as his began to fade. It was like a natural balance that they shared, an ability to pick each other up and hold one another through the most desperate of times. He was just worried about the fragility of her mind. He still remembered her confession of love to him in the tomb, real or unreal as it was. Even though she appeared strong, her mind was in a gentle state during that time, so he kept it as a memory locked away in the back of his head rather than at the forefront of his thoughts. He wouldn't prod her about it, instead he would let her fragile state of mind heal, as he would let his own heal as well. Both Emilia and himself needed time to mend themselves. Time healed all wounds, thankfully.

"Look!" Subaru was jolted from his deep thought by Emilia shouting excitedly. "Over the trees, there's smoke. It could be Nicia."

"What's Nicia?" Subaru questioned her, as he peered over the forest. He cupped his hands, as if he were staring through an eyeglass.

Through the damp foliage and moderate trickle of rain, he could see a light hazy smoke through the clearing. The fog appeared to end as well, no doubt there was something over there.

"It's a village in between Priestella and Ladrima." she said, explaining to him in simple terms. "We can find food and shelter there, and wait for the storm to pass. Should we make a stop there?"

"I think so." Subaru agreed with her. "It should be small enough to avoid a lot of attention from outsiders, but big enough to get lost in."

Truthfully, he would prefer to make the trek straight to Priestella. The city was large enough for anyone looking to lay low to lose themselves in. They weren't criminals on the lam by any means, but they wanted to act like such. Avoiding unwanted attention was extremely important right now, especially when word gets out of the death of Roswaal L. Mathers. Come to think of it, he didn't give it much thought before, but some will become suspicious about Roswaal's death. Some may even blame Emilia for his demise that he created for himself. He wouldn't let her shoulder the blame for that bastard's evil machinations.

Subaru took her hand and the two began to pace themselves a little faster than before now that they were close to civilization.

He couldn't wait to get a warm cozy bed by the fire, and a hot meal. If he could just sleep for more than a few hours at a time, his mood would improve dramatically. No doubt Emilia needed rest as well. She was probably more stressed than he was, from the trial, the deaths of her friends, and the loss of Puck. He didn't even want to know what she was really feeling. All he knew is that he would do his best to support her as she supported him.

The two crossed a small wooden bridge which hung over a shallow creek. Becoming more and more anxious as they approached the village, Subaru felt himself starving.

He was thirsty too. Their provisions were nonexistent, and they had been travelling for almost a day with nothing to fuel their tired bodies with. Finding himself unable to last any longer, Subaru ran down to the stream, and he fell almost head first into the water. Hungrily, he drank from the fresh water, cupping it in his hands and bringing it eagerly to his mouth.

Oh god, he thought to himself. He didn't realize how thirsty he really was. Likewise, Emilia knelt beside him, and she enjoyed some of the pure stream herself. It was a peaceful moment shared between the two. The sounds of the gentle rain drops coupled with the rhythmic flowing of the river was soothing indeed, even if Subaru found himself almost shivering from being damp so long. He was just glad to be at peace with Emilia for now, and finally soon they would have some ample rest.

"Not bad, huh?" he said, making a cute little remark to her as he continued to drink from the river.

"It really isn't." she replied shortly, waving him off. "I was thirsty!"

They both shared a good laugh between themselves, and soon enough they continued on their way. The village was close, not even a half mile's way down the dirt road. After all the walking they had done, it felt like no time before they passed through the entrance of the settlement, and they found themselves at a broad wooden gate.

At their arrival, a rotten wooden panel slid open, revealing a cloaked figure who eyed them down with peculiar curiosity.

"Who goes there?" he questioned the pair cautiously. "What brings you two to Nicia? We want no troubles' here."

"Our business is our own." Subaru replied defiantly. "We have just come to seek a little bit of warmth and shelter. We would be infinitely generous of your hospitality if you would allow us. We won't stay a days' time, and then we will be on our way." He gestured to his partner who appeared to be a normal girl.

The man nodded in understanding, and he unlocked the gate. Cracking the door open, he said, "A boy and a girl all the ways' out here with no supplies? Oh, well, okay then. You can't be too careful these days, there's been word of bandit and Mabeast attacks all over Lugnica! Terrible times these are."

Subaru nodded in understanding of the guard's worry, and they followed their safe passage into the village.

The village itself was rather impressive for one as remote as it was. It wasn't on the direct road to Priestella, but quite a bit out of the way. It wasn't an ideal trade route per say, but clearly the village was functioning at a high capacity, as the buildings all appeared in decent shape.

Obviously due to the inclement weather, travel was short in the village. He numbered a great deal of shops and stores to choose from, but he had his eye on the inn which resided across from the gateway into the village.

Its nameplate read, " _The Dancing Dragon"._ The image on the nameplate showed a ground dragon in dance with a mug of mead in its hand.

Aptly named, Subaru thought to himself.

As the pair entered the inn, they were met with a merry sight of men and demi-human alike, all sharing in drink and festivity. The inn was dark and dreary, and it held travelers from all walks of life in its halls. It was like something straight out of a fantasy book that Subaru used to read when he was a kid. Staring in wide wonder, he shot Emilia a smirk, and she smiled softly back at him.

As they approached the bartender, he stared at them with one wide eye. The other had apparently long since been gouged out. "Well would you look at what we have here!" he said, in bombastic acknowledgement. "What brings you youngins out here to Nicia?"

"We are just staying for one night." Subaru said, placing three gold coins on the table. "Would you mind if you gave us a warm room, and a hot meal?"

Taking the gold pieces in his hand, the bartender smiled greedily to himself.

"Well, we might have been completely booked before, but I think I can accommodate you!" he said as he turned around and grabbed two wooden bowls for the pair, and two mugs.

Subaru watched him curiously as he scooped out two nice sized bowls of soup for them. Emilia smiled brightly to him, she was clearly starving. The bartender also filled the two half pint mugs full of mead.

"Here you two are!" he said, politely handing them their dinner, spoons, mugs, bowls and all. "Last door down the hallway, on the right."

Taking the door key from the bartender's massive stubby hand, Subaru gave him his thanks and the two made their way through the bustling inn all the way to their room.

Sliding the key in and turning it deftly, Subaru opened the door, revealing a nice little comfy room complete with one bed, a desk, a lantern, a nice view of the village through the window and a lounging area. The bathroom really wasn't all that impressive though, but it would have to suffice.

He turned to Emilia, noticing her struggling to carry the two mugs of mead and the bowls of soup. He laughed slightly at her predicament, her clearly not enjoying it at all.

"-Here let me get those for you." he said, taking his mug, and bowl from her. Any moments more and she probably would have dropped it all. "Okay! Let's eat!"

Emilia nodded happily to her partner and the two dug into their meals with absolute lust. Forgetting his table manners, Subaru slurped down the soup and chugged the mead as if it was the last meal he was ever going to have. Laughing at the sight before him, Emilia sipped some mead from her mug as well, enjoying the pungent burn of its alcohol as it trickled down her throat.

"Mhmm…" she hummed, letting out a pleasurable groan of contentment. She wasn't an alcoholic by any means, but she really did enjoy a good drink, especially after all the events that occurred. She felt her stresses and worries slowly melting away with every sip.

Subaru however had not enjoyed his meal at all, devouring it all just as he had got it. The mead was surprisingly stronger than he had suspected, because he began to feel a little lightheaded.

"It's sooooo good." Emilia said to him, drawing out a few syllables for effect. "Hey Subaru, are you okay?"

She looked at him funny as if something may have been wrong with his face.

His cheeks had turned bright red, like he was nervous for whatever reason, and his face was sort of…blank. Maybe he was allergic to alcohol?

She grabbed his hand and squeezed him slightly to get his attention. It took him a few seconds to realize she was staring at him dead in the eye.

"Hey, don't you like to drink? You drank that so fast! I thought you didn't enjoy alcohol like that, Subaru."

He gave her his best wiry smile and a curious thumbs up. Wordlessly, he stood up and plopped unceremoniously on the bed, obviously unconscious.

Emilia chuckled quietly to herself, covering her mouth to stifle an even louder laughter. Subaru really was something special, she thought to herself.

Getting up, she picked up the used dishes and began to scrub them clean in the sink. After that was done, she removed her damp cloak, shirt and dress and hung them near the window to dry. Shivering to herself, she felt relief as her skin finally began to dry. Worryingly, she noticed Subaru had not taken his clothes off, which were still soaking wet from the rain outside. If he slept like that, surely, he would catch a cold.

Sighing gently to herself, she stepped quietly over to his motionless body and very carefully, began to remove his shirt. As she pulled the shirt off, it revealed his naked body to her, painting her cheeks with red at the sight of it. Her innocence may have been too much for her to handle sometimes. Luckily enough, he did not stir one bit as she had done so.

The culmination of alcohol, exhaustion, and the warm environment must have taken its toll on him, she thought to herself.

After hanging his shirt on the wall as well, she too tucked herself into bed, savoring the warmth which overtook her body. It was a nice, warm feather bed which was actually very comfortable for the price they paid.

Pulling the sheets back, she tucked Subaru in, who still lay unconscious on his stomach. His mouth hung open just slightly, as his breath was even and smooth. She had never slept in such proximity to someone like this in the long years of her life. Her heart pounded heavily in her chest, as it was an exhilarating feeling to be this close to Subaru. She was so close, that she could feel the warmth of his body roll off onto her own, encasing her in his presence. Pulling the warm sheets over herself, she too began to feel the effects of exhaustion overtake her.

Not a few moments later, in the warm embrace of each other, Subaru and Emilia slept peacefully next to one another, the rain still falling gently outside.

Unbeknownst to Emilia, the emerald green crystal at the base of her chest pulsated, full of life.

 _Hopefully, the peace would last._ Puck mused pensively to himself.


	2. The Wish and the Wood

**The Wish and the Wood**

. . .

Something hammered his skull, pulling him violently from the grips of sleep.

The room had a low dim light to it, as the sun had not yet fully crept out of its own rest for the day. Because of this, everything was blanketed in a genial low shadow. Outside, everything was quiet, except for the atmospheric sounds of cicadas and the occasional morning bird's song.

With a groan, Subaru rolled onto his side and rubbed his temple in a vain attempt to nurse his assailing headache. In doing so, he felt something both unmeasurably soft, and unbearably warm press against his body.

Gently, slowly, and with great caution, he pulled the sheets back.

If his vision wasn't already swimming with haze and delirium before, it was now.

Snuggled comfily against his body was Emilia, her mouth slightly agape, and her breath evenly paced, signifying that she was still fast asleep. Subaru narrowed his eyes at his innocent sleeping partner who shared such intimacy with himself.

Wait.

 _Was she naked?!_

Instantly he felt himself recoil from her. Haphazardly he covered her with the blanket and crawled backward so fast he almost fell completely off the bed. Cut off from the heat of Emilia, he felt a cold draft banish his own warmth, almost causing him to shiver, and then he realized.

His shirt was missing too.

His face became so red it stretched across his face from ear to ear.

By now Emilia had awoken from all the early morning commotion, and she peaked out slowly from underneath the blankets, covering her bare chest from the view of Subaru. Her amethyst eyes blinked sleepily at him, silently questioning his antics. Not like he could see anything memorable in the darkness anyway, but his imagination did most of the work for him, however.

"—E—Emilia." he sputtered hopelessly, struggling to find the words. "Why a-are you like that?" His mouth was almost agape as he stared shyly at her.

Emilia just continued to look at him inquisitively from beneath the haven of her sheets. Only her collarbone and above was visible to him. She smiled mischievously to herself. It was just enough to get his imagination running wild. She decided she would have a little bit of fun with him, if only just to tease him a little bit.

"Oh, this?" she coyly asked while pulling the sheets up a little further to cover her nudity. "You don't want to sleep with me, Subaru?"

As she looked up at him with her large doll-like eyes, he almost felt himself melt from sheer terror, or panic, or hysteria, or whatever this deep pounding feeling was that shook every ounce of his body to its core. Innocently, she slowly laid her head back down on the pillow, nestling herself deep within the warm confines of the blankets. She never broke eye contact with him, nor did he to her. She just lay there, silently taunting him with her otherworldly beauty and presence.

Her question was rhetorical. She knew he wanted her. She knew everything about him. He had confessed his love for her many times over, and even she once to him. But did she really understand love, and what it meant? Did she remember that time in the tomb, when in her fragility, she tried to give herself to him? He had denied her, abandoned her even, although he found himself crawling back to her when the world came crumbling down, desperate for the warmth of her love. In the end, when everything was gone, he wanted to bury himself into the oblivion of her love and hold on to it and never let go.

Gathering himself, he noticed his shirt hanging by the window. He stood, and in a swift action, he put his shirt on. Emilia eyed him carefully from the bed, wondering what his response would be.

But he turned to her and said nothing, surprising her with his silence. The Subaru before her was different than the one just moments ago. The Subaru just seconds ago was nervous, and unsure of himself. This Subaru appeared to be determined, able, and full of charisma. His hardened expression alone showed that was the case.

Sitting down on the bed next to Emilia, his mouth went to speak, but he paused momentarily, as if he was thinking carefully about what he was about to say. His expression softened, and he let a gentle smile through his façade.

"Emilia," He slowly said her name, paused briefly, and continued. "I have made my love for you very clear by now, have I not?" It wasn't a question per se, just a reminder of his loyalty to her, in case she had forgotten.

She would never forget.

"—Subaru…" She didn't expect to get a response like that. Not here and now. "No… no, I didn't mean it like that." Forgetting herself, she reached out for him. Although he remained motionless, with great care she touched his hand.

He was cold.

"Please." She begged him, mistaking his coldness as caused by her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that, Subaru."

She struggled to express her love for him in words, but she could show him with action. She still lay beneath the blankets as she fingered at his hand. He remained motionless as she lovingly touched him. It was a small thing, one little solitary touch, but it was meaningful.

She didn't understand why she struggled so deeply in verbally expressing her feelings to him. She could feel them vibrate within her, the strong feelings pulsating in her chest. It made it difficult to breath sometimes. It was a foreign feeling, to love him like he loved her. Maybe because it was so foreign, that rendered it so difficult to express in words. No simple 'I love you' would suffice. It wouldn't be nearly as meaningful. No, her love for him was more than that. He was more than that to her. Oh, the heat of it all. It was intoxicating. And still, he was still cold, so utterly cold.

Grasping his shirt, she pulled him down to her. It caught him off guard, because she was able drag him under the sheets with little resistance. She had snaked her hand around the nape of his neck and to the back of his head, caressing him against her body. He lay still like a possum playing dead in her arms. It probably had something to do with her bare body being pressed so suddenly against him. She didn't mind however, even if she was just a little on the prudish side. This was a moment that had to be shared between the two. It was purely innocent, blissful love. Nothing more, nothing less.

As he felt her hand draw loving circles on his back, he snapped back to reality. He could feel her hot breath tickle him, as she had buried her face in the nape of his neck. His immediate shock turned to understanding, and he returned the embrace, wrapping his arms around her in a reciprocal gesture. Her warmth was his obsession. Not even a few seconds of their embrace had passed, and already he could feel nothing but the sensation of her enveloping heat. It was simply put, unmistakably heaven.

Her soft supple chest was pressed against his own. Gods, he wished he didn't put his shirt back on. He wanted to feel her against him, feel the softness and warmth of skin on skin contact.

Subaru pressed himself deeper into her, wanting more, and she in return held him tighter. She could feel his want. His emotional attachment to her was unbearably strong. Maybe she could take it one step further, for now. In the darkness, they couldn't see each other well, but they could certainly feel every inch of their bodies.

Removing her hand from the small of his back, she winded her way across his waist and to the hem of his shirt. In one smooth motion, she pulled it over his head, removing it. He didn't even have a second to object to it, not that he wanted to.

"Oh, god." Subaru breathlessly whispered into her pointy ear as she pressed her hot body against him.

He probably didn't mean to say that out loud, but he did anyway. It made Emilia smile haughtily to herself. It humored her that she could send him into such excitement without much effort on her part. It gave her inner peace to make him feel pleasant.

And what a bliss it was. Subaru was there. Sweet bliss, bliss and serenity. She was heaven made flesh, he realized to himself. He knew it before, her angelic beauty seemed almost otherworldly. But now he was sure.

Maybe all half-elves were this enchanting? He remembered the first time he laid eyes on her, he had fallen under her mystical spell. Her allure was so strong that he found himself orbiting toward her without even realizing it, stepping closer to her without thinking about it. His feelings grew substantially for her without any real rhyme or reason. In such bad taste as it was, she had bewitched him, without him ever realizing it until now.

"Touch me, Subaru." Her voice was hot and sultry as those words processed slowly in one ear and out the other. Her velveteen seduction was too much for him to handle.

Only one word found itself a suitable response to her plea.

 _Fuck_.

Giving into her mesmerizing temptation, his hands toured her back, winding up, down and around, exploring new territories freely as if they had a mind of their own. Even if he couldn't see her, he was absorbing every soft contour of her body. He was tasting her without ever taking a bite, he was drinking her without ever taking that forbidden cup. Oh God, how he wanted to do all those things.

Her skin was softer than the smoothest silk, and her smell was something else entirely. She smelt faintly of a rich jasmine, which he enjoyed with each and every deep breath he took. He wished he could just lay there wrapped up with her for the rest of his life. He embedded his face lovingly into her rich, silver hair. What a beautiful majestic color it was, so unique and so amazingly brilliant. He could rest there for hours if he so pleased.

This Emilia, there was something different about her. She felt surer of herself, surer of her love for him. Previously, she hadn't quite understood her feeling for him. But now, it seemed she had given into the desire which clashed like lightening between the two. Her demonstrating her love for him, it just made him want her even more. She was the sweetest of the forbidden fruit. Once he took one bite, it took every ounce of his will to stop.

By this time, Emilia was flushed beyond recognition. Her normally pink hued cheeks which graced her alabaster skin swelled to a deep blood red color. She tried to keep her composure for Subaru, but it was becoming exceedingly difficult the more he explored her body with the lust and need that he was demonstrating. His touch was gentle, but clearly, he wanted more. She could feel him knead her softly wherever his hands found rest. Her back, her stomach, her side, even occasionally he found her soft, tantalizing legs, giving them a gentle, loving squeeze as well. Only her chest seemed to be off-limits to him.

She recognized the fealty of the unspoken limit that he had set upon himself and their new budding relationship. His nobility made her smile as he made her feel loved and wanted. It was reflective of both their professional and personal relationship. The relationship between lord and knight, and between a man and a woman. Much like he would never go against her favor, he would never force himself upon her, or allow himself to take advantage of her. She didn't know where this newfound love would take the two, but she was enjoying every second of it.

 _When had she fallen so hard for him?_ She thought wondrously to only herself.

She didn't quite understand it fully. One moment, she was so unsure of his love for her, and the next, she understood so completely that there was no doubt in her mind her feelings for him. He had tried so hard to prove himself, to prove that his words were meaningful to her. He continuously sacrificed himself for her, and her plight that they once shared together. Maybe it was that solemn night in the tomb when he came to rescue her. She realized that even though he had lost everything, he continued to exist for her sake. He continued to live, just for her. His love for her was so strong, so unshaken by devastation, that even at the end of the world, he still tried to salvage what he could, and to make her happy. That was her Subaru. That was who he was to her. He was her savior, her rescuer, her beacon in the darkness, leading her through the shadow which haunted her at every turn.

He was her knight.

It was the truth. He held no malice toward her, only the will to defend her, to protect her, and to serve her. His love for her was only pure, she realized, and so her own love for him revealed itself. What was once locked away tight in the corners of her mind, now shone itself brightly and with radiance.

It is a quiet thing, to fall in love.

She hadn't even realized it was happening.

The early morning had been growing long, with the sun just about ready to peak over the horizon, bringing light to the dark and dreary night. Subaru and Emilia remained comfortably in their embrace, savoring the closeness of one another. They hadn't explored any further than necessary, unwilling to damage their newfound love for each other with unwelcomed and unbecoming advances. Instead, they shared their innocent love together throughout the early morning, silently comforting one another once again. Neither Subaru nor Emilia dared to fall asleep, as if they did, it would have surely been a waste of such a moment shared so personally between the two. Instead, they lay wide awake, keen to their heightened senses, absorbing one another almost entirely.

Subaru lay there on his side, his soft hazel brown eyes locked with her passionate, sparkling amethyst orbs. His hand rested lovingly on her cheek, stroking her ever so gently. His other hand had found its way down to her creamy long legs, and he had scooped one of them up to rest it over his body.

By now his hangover resulting from the night before had long since dissipated. Instead, he felt nothing but peace and happiness.

Her hands just rested plainly on his chest, feeling the slow up and down rhythm of his peaceful breathing. The rhythmic breathing of his heart soothed her soul, making her feel completely at ease with the world.

Love certainly was something else, she mused silently to herself.

There had been no verbal conversation between them for some time, as they just enjoyed the peaceful quiet of their company. Subaru had made it clear on his part that he was enjoying the moment. Their passionate foreplay had long since ceased, but it became nothing more than that. Now, he just wanted to bask in her presence before the start of the day.

As if on cue, small rays of golden light broke through the window of their room.

It had to be just coincidence, but Emilia's pale snow-like skin, moon-silver hair and bright purple eyes reflected the sun rays so perfectly, it gave her such an angelic complexion that Subaru just couldn't understand how such a person could exist.

For the first time this morning, he had a clear view of the captivating half-elf who lay so passionately in his arms. She was even more beautiful than he could ever imagine in his mind.

She eyed him with her big vibrant orbs, which were lidded ever so slightly. Her expression had a playful tone to it, her mouth almost a smirk. She was quite simply, highly amused at his incessant gawking.

"Why, are you okay, Subaru?" she teased him openly. He appeared dumbfounded at her playful advance. "You don't look so well."

He teasingly squeezed her cheek and sat up off the bed, covering her nude body respectfully with the blanket. He didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable.

"Here," he said, taking her dried clothes off the wall. He handed them to her, and she took them without question.

"Thank you." she said evenly.

Turning away from Emilia, he let out a boorish yawn while acknowledging her thank you, and he threw his shirt haphazardly over his head, pulling it over his shoulders in one quick motion.

"I'm going to draw up a bath." Emilia said, taking her clothes and covering herself. She tip-toed quietly over to the bathroom. "I won't be too long, I promise."

He nodded away from her and she closed the bathroom door behind her. Surely enough, it had been some time since they had been able to wash themselves. She was no doubt craving a nice bath. He would take one later, for now, he had to figure out a few things.

One, was the newfound relationship he had formed with the beautiful half-elf who bathed so innocently in the bathroom next to him. How on earth he managed to swing that, he would never know. All he knew was, that this week had been one of completely tumultuous emotion, of depression, sadness, happiness, and pure bliss. It was quite simply put, insane.

He could hear said half-elf singing happily in the bathroom, as she enjoyed herself. She no doubt was experiencing the same ill-begotten and wonderful emotions as he was, although she seemed to be taking it better than he was. He smiled at the beauty of her voice, he could listen to her sweet sound forever.

Truthfully, he hadn't forgotten all those who were lost, and he still silently mourned them, as he would until the end of his days. But if he didn't move on, he would no doubt lose his mind. So, because of this, he kept them tucked deeply within the confines of his heart, and Emilia at the front. It would be the only real way he could continue living like this, as selfish as that was.

Secondly, money. Money, money, money. Real world problems came back to haunt him in this new world he found himself locked in.

From the pouch of his pants he withdrew a small sack of coins. Dumping them on the table, he grimaced as he counted them.

"One… Three… Seven… Twelve…" he counted with mock enthusiasm, dropping each gold coin unceremoniously back into the pouch. He was clearly disappointed at their reserves. "Twelve gold coins. Not nearly enough for what we need to do."

They needed a lot more gold than that if they were going to make it all the way to Priestella. Even more so, the amount to charter a ship away from Lugnica would no doubt cost them a small fortune. What could they do to make some more gold? It was a predicament, to be sure.

He didn't want to put himself in any more harms way than he should, being that he now had to treat life as one normally would. Although there was good money in mercenary work. They had more skill and fighting power than the regular passerby, but still he did not know where to look for such work.

He tossed the unpleasantly empty coin pouch on the table, and turned to Emilia who was just exiting the bathroom, obviously finished with her short bath. Hot steam poured from the bathroom signifying the bath she enjoyed was actually heated. He wouldn't pry on how she managed that right now. She stood in front of him, drying her hair with a towel. She wore her typical outfit, adorned with her signature small flower clip in her hair, and the small green emerald supposedly containing puck hung at the base of her collarbone.

She smiled at him, clearly happy with herself.

"You look so beautiful, Emilia." he said, simply complimenting her. Sometimes her beauty captivated him so much, he couldn't really find the words to express it.

"Thank you." she replied shyly, the pink hue of her cheeks flaring slightly at his base compliment.

He walked over to her and took her hand in his.

"Ready to continue our journey to Priestella?" He asked her.

"Yes, let us go."

Emilia gave him her best bright smile, and after taking the coin pouch from the table, the two walked out the door to their room.

The tavern was still all but asleep, as only a few souls were out and about in the main hall, already enjoying a nice drink no less. The bartender was fast at work, cleaning mugs and dishes in preparation for the day. Subaru waved his thanks to him once again, and the bartender raised an empty mug to him in silent acknowledgement.

As the two exited The Dancing Dragon, they were graced with a hazy morning which still bore the glistening remnants of morning dew all across the village grass. It was a quiet morning, with very few travelers about. Some brave merchants were saddling up their ground-dragons, prepping to take advantage of the light travel and make a mornings trade run to the neighboring Ladrima. Other than that, the main road was relatively vacant and abandoned. The sun had just barely begun to shyly creep up over the large thistle trees, blanketing the village in a low orange hue.

Hand in hand, Emilia and Subaru kept to themselves as they made for the village exit. Emilia had again worn her cloak over her head to hide her half ears. It would be best if they avoid attention this morning.

After a few minutes, a small sign caught the attention of Subaru. " _Weapons and Wares"_ it read.

Indeed, they did need supplies, or at least Subaru needed some sort of weapon, so they could defend themselves on the perilous road to Priestella. It would be wise for them to arm themselves. Subaru wouldn't mind purchasing a cloak for himself either, and maybe some clothes more suitable for travel. He had to admit, his present Earthling attire wasn't the best for avoiding unwanted attention.

Pointing his finger to the small shop, Subaru led Emilia inside of the humble abode. What awaited them inside was a rather simple store, with basic armaments ranging from swords to axes hanging on the wall for purchase. As well as this, the store had cloaks, travelling equipment, and other fine leathers available for the interested customer. Looking closer at the pieces, the items looked to be of rather high quality.

"Welcome, good sir!" The shop owner greeted the pair as they entered. "Would I be able to interest you young adventurers in some of my fine wares?" He pointed enthusiastically to the weapons on the wall.

Subaru paused momentarily in thought before responding. "I'm looking for a simple sword, something low key, that doesn't bring a lot of attention to myself." He pointed at a medium sized blade adorned with a leather grip, and plain pommel and cross guard. It looked perfect. "May I hold it, sir?"

"Most certainly." he said in agreement as he carefully removed the blade from the wall. With two hands, one on flat end of the blade and the other on the grip, he handed it to Subaru.

Taking the blade from the man, he noticed it was devilishly light for such a well sized blade. It had good balance too. Running his finger over the edge of the blade, he accidentally pricked himself as his finger glossed over edge of it. It was very sharp indeed.

"Careful now," The shopkeep advised, and then he continued "All of my blades here were forged in the Holy Kingdom of Guesteko. They are of the highest quality." He was quite proud of his work.

"How much gold does a blade of this make run?" He asked the smith.

"Around, let's say, one-hundred gold pieces."

"One-hundred?" Subaru replied, shocked. He didn't have nearly enough to afford such a weapon.

Noticing his surprise, the man took the blade back from Subaru and hung it back on the wall. "I'm afraid so." he said, sorrowfully.

Emilia watched Subaru drop his shoulders in resignation, recognizing that they were in fact, very poor. From behind, she took his right hand in her left and gave it a gentle squeeze of reassurance. He flinched and briefly turned to meet her soft gaze. He turned back toward the shopkeep who was tending to his work again, assuming he had lost yet another customer.

"I don't have enough." Subaru said, and he turned on his heel and led Emilia out the door, letting the door slam on the way out.

"Come back soon." The shopkeep said, continuing his work alone.

As the pair stepped out of the shop, Subaru cursed to himself. "Dammit, we need money, but how?"

Before, they had gained all their money from Roswaal L. Mathers. He had supplied them with all that they needed, unsolicited or not. The Mathers mansion was an absolute treasure trove of gold, gear, and any provision you could imagine. Cut off from their primary source of money, they had to find alternative ways to make it in this cruel world. He peered a glancing look to Emilia, who stood quietly next to him. She clearly understood their need for money and his frustration. It was a normalcy for most people in Lugnica to be struggling to make ends meet. They had just been lucky up until now.

Suddenly, his thought was cut short by a violent scream coming from the west. It was so piercing it nearly alerted the entire village, as common settlers opened up the wood flaps of their windows to see what the commotion was.

"Over by the river?" Emilia questioned, pointing in the direction from wince it came.

"Let's go." Subaru took her hand and they made their way in the direction of the plea for help.

Even through all of the pain and suffering they had endured, their instinctual drive to help others still drove them to come to the aid of others.

The two hurried quickly across the green meadow which separated itself from the main portion of the village and the docks. The village itself was completely encircled by a wall for protection, save for the portion of the village which bordered the west river bank. There, lay a small dock used by fishing boats and transportation ships that ferried people to and from the opposite sides of the river.

By now many different common settlers had come outside to see what had occurred, and others were running in the direction of the volatile scream. After a moments time, Subaru and Emilia noticed a frenzied man running toward them with blood splattered violently over his torso.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god," he cried hysterically while holding out his bloodied hands. "Look at this, my daughter, she's all over me. The monster took her. It took her…to the river bank. She's gone, she's gone, she's gone." He repeated it over and over, clearly losing his mind. He collapsed from sorrow in front of Subaru and Emilia, sobbing uncontrollably.

While Subaru stared dumbfoundedly at the inconsolable man, Emilia knelt down next to him, placing her hand on the grieving man's back in an effort to calm him. Even though it was a gesture common to her good character, it was otherwise ineffective.

"Please, sir," she asked him with the upmost grace and understanding. "Tell us what happened, so we may help."

The father looked up at her with red, swollen, tear laden eyes.

"It's all my fault… All my fault… we were going to go fishing in the early morning. We were preparing the boat, my daughter Marissa was helping me, and as she was taking our equipment to the boat, she turned to tell me something, and t-then, s-she, it came, it came for her. It took her. I don't know what it was, but it took her."

The man choked back a sob and broke down, completely overtaken by grief, and unable to speak any longer.

Emilia just held him and decided it was best not to pry any longer. She looked up at Subaru with worried, innocent eyes.

Subaru nodded. "I'll go take a look." he said.

As he turned toward the docks, he heard someone call out for him.

"Wait, boy!" Turning to face the crowd gathered around the father, he saw the shopkeeper from earlier holding the blade he had chosen in his hand. He approached Subaru with it.

"Here, take this. It would be unwise to face such a devilish creature unarmed, as brave as you may be, boy."

He held out the blade to Subaru.

Taking it by the grip, Subaru nodded in appreciation.

"Thank you." he said plainly.

He was no veteran warrior by any means, but he had more than basic understanding of how to use a sword due to his training with Wilhelm van Astrea. He gripped the blade with both hands, testing its weight. It was perfect.

Lowering the finely crafted weapon to his side, he turned back toward the docks, and took off running.

When he began to approach the docks, he felt a cold chill take his body. It was nervousness, he assumed. It was normal to be nervous in the face of death and danger. However, now it was different, he really had to be careful. He could no longer use return by death to cheat the normal fragility of life. He now was just merely a mortal human, but that didn't mean he was useless in times of danger.

The docks themselves were worn down by the murky river which they rest upon. Clearly this settlement had been here far longer than that of the village. The wood which the dock was built upon was clearly rotten beyond recognition. He wondered how it even still stood there without collapsing

Without a word he approached carefully, paying close attention to the surrounding sound of the environment. Other than the slow, easy swaying of the river's water, he could hear nothing else.

A freshly spilt blood trail led from the base of the docks all the way down to the edge where a solemn boat danced up and down against the river's sway. No doubt that was the father's boat, and no doubt this blood trail belonged to his unfortunate daughter.

The beast had clearly escaped with her, and there would most likely be no rescue party sent for her. The amount of blood let here was obscene, and Subaru doubted sorrowfully that no human could survive such a devastating wound.

As he stepped carefully over the rotted dock, he noticed a larger than normal pool of blood next to the vacant boat itself. He knelt down next to it to get a closer look. Inspecting it closer, he noticed it had a bright red hue to it. No doubt it was arterial blood, meaning the victim had long since succumbed to their injuries even if they managed to escape. Grimacing, Subaru stood up and stepped over the gore to inspect the empty boat. It had a few fishing tools in it, and not much else.

Nothing here was evidence enough of who or what conducted such a merciless attack. It was probably some ancient demon beast. Twisted witch spawn were generally the reason for people disappearing at random in Lugnica.

As the water rolled back and forth soothingly, it contrasted heavily with the brutal and gruesome scene which had played out at this very location. Subaru sighed heavily to himself. The creature was brazen enough to strike just after sunrise. Whatever it was, it was sure enough of its capability to escape without unwanted attention, and its strike was swift enough to take a victim into the water with no resistance.

Understandably so, with no tracks, bite marks, or anything worthy to identify the creature, the investigative process would be almost impossible to push through.

 _What a mess_. Subaru thought shamefully to himself.

Now a father was without his daughter, and no justice or peace would be brought to him. He didn't have anything to bury, or any hope for a justification for a completely unwarranted murder. It was a terrible predicament all around, and he could do nothing to help it.

Soft footsteps approached from behind, as Subaru stood pensively on the bloodied dock. Turning to face the newcomer, Subaru came face to face with a worried Emilia. Her soft silver bangs blew gently in the morning breeze, and she stood silently just off the docks. She too, eyed the blood worryingly.

"It's horrible." she said, as she covered her mouth with her hand.

The smell of death in the air was profuse, and she could feel herself wanting to take herself away from the area immediately, but still she stayed.

"Yeah." Subaru replied shortly. Nothing else really needed to be said.

He turned around with his sword still in his hand, useless now as it was. The creature was long gone, and with it, an innocent girl's life.

"What do we do?" Emilia asked him.

"I don't know."

"But we can't let the monster keep attacking. This isn't the first time. Another girl was taken last week, the villagers told me."

With silence, and just the sound of careful footsteps, Subaru walked silently off the dock. Emilia continued looked at him with all the concern and worry that she gave to everyone's plight. She cared so deeply about everyone. She truly was something, he thought to himself.

The sun now shone brightly down from above as it had begun to make its pass over the sky and through the fluffy clouds. There was a soft breeze in the air, much out of the ordinary with their current situation.

"There's a bounty on the monster," she added to him, in hopes to regain his interest. It worked because Subaru stopped immediately in his tracks. "Four-hundred gold Lugnica marks is the reward, I heard from one of the villagers."

"Oh?" he said, turning slightly toward her. "This isn't the first time the monster had attacked? So, he's a repeat offender, eh."

She nodded to him. "Yes, just last week another woman was taken from the shore of this river bank, just a little way to the south from here. She too was taken without a trace they told me. The villagers had suspected she had drown in the water, but now their concerns are much graver than that."

"I see." he said, frowning. He motioned for her to come. "Let us go and speak with the leader of the village about this bounty."

She smiled to him, happy that she had convinced him to help the villagers. Even if it was for a selfish reason, she knew they could use the gold for their own needs.

Although it seemed to Subaru that they were pursuing down a dangerous path, given his apparent lack of return by death, he still found himself a little bit excited for some adventure. He would have to plan carefully from now on, instead of running headfirst into battles that they clearly could not win. This was life or death now, as obvious of an ultimatum as that was. It had been some time since he legitimately feared death, and now he felt the pangs of mortality nipping ever so diligently at his shoulder.

As the pair walked slowly back to the main village, he looked back at his half-elf companion. She followed silently behind him, but he motioned for her to come walk side by side with himself. She nodded and picked up her pace, keeping step with him. She was his partner, and he needed her by his side.

The pair clasped hands as they walked next to one another. She gave him a loving smile, and he returned a nonchalant grin himself. He had to be strong for her, because she was so strong for him. She was so kind hearted, and it was her nature to help others in need, and she couldn't just sit idly by and let a beast instill such fear in this little village.

No, Emilia hadn't really changed. Even though she had matured and come to grips with her emotions and self, more than she had before, she still was Emilia at heart. The good-natured, well-mannered and benevolent girl whose only drive was to bring happiness and prosperity to the world, even if people didn't want it from her. All simply because she was a half-elf.

It infuriated him. It was sad, and for that, he would support her in anything she wanted to do.

Soon, the two approached a much grander building than most other establishments that surrounded it, located at the very center of the village. It was odd to see such a nice building contrast those of the surrounding, more simple houses. It was well furnished on the outside with decorative designs similar to those found near the royal palace of Lugnica. The closer they approached, they noticed that the grand entrance to the house was blocked off by two guards.

"Halt." The guards who stood watch raised their armaments, signifying the pair to cease movement. "What business does a boy who carries a sword not in a sheath and a girl, boring a witch-like cloak, have with Neryemar, village head of Nicia?"

Stepping back slightly at the less than warm welcome, Subaru suddenly realized that walking around with an unsheathed sword probably wasn't the best of ideas. Keeping his blade low, he extended out a hand in a gesture of peace.

"We have come to speak about the bounty and the monster which plagues your village." he said, while gesturing them to lower their weapons. "We mean no harm."

The guards, still curious about their strange guests, slowly lowered their weapons. "You have a strange look about ye for monster hunters. Don't take you for much."

"Looks can be deceiving." Subaru said, as he held out his weapon for them to disarm him. The guard took his sword from him, and they let the two pass by without further incident.

. . .

Neryemar of Nicia wasn't a lord by any means. He wasn't bestowed any titles of nobility by any king or monarchy. Even still, he held himself to a higher regard than most others, as one of high taste and high respectability, even if it may not had been true.

He eyed the pair carefully who stood so brazenly in his halls. He hadn't called for any meeting with them, nor had he ever heard or seen the likes of them in his village before. He was quite simply, irritated that they had found themselves sharing his very company. The guards who stood watch behind the unusual pair continued to gaze mindlessly ahead. No one had said a word since their arrival. Neryemar decided he would break the ice.

"What, pray tell," he said, scratching the scruff of his beard with one hand, and toying with a wine glass in the other. "Can I do for two younglings no older than my son or daughter? I have pressing matters to attend to, mind you both. Please do not waste my time with any foolishness or game."

The boy in question stepped forward at the lordly man's beckon. "We are here about the monster attacks that have plagued your village as of late. We would offer our services in return for the bounty, which is what we have come to discuss. We also wouldn't mind any other leads you might have based on the prior attacks."

"Ah." Neryemar snorted, eyeing Subaru amusingly. "So, these are the warriors that I have been sent to deal with this menace? Not a kingdom knight, or a member of the royal guard, are you? No, I didn't think as much. What services can a boy and a girl offer me?"

"See, that's where you're wrong," Subaru chided the pseudo-lord. "My partner here is a renowned spirit-user, who can use the surrounding spirits of this land to cast all manner of magic. And I, I am a knight, although I will not give you my companion's nor my name. We wish to keep our identities anonymous."

He pointed at himself for triumphant effect. Emilia stood by, withholding a devious smirk. She decided he would let Subaru do the bargaining, as he had become quite good at it.

The village head nodded in firm understanding, clearly easy to convince and perhaps a little desperate. Standing up from his gold-studded chair, he opened a small chest near the base of his desk and withdrew a small coin pouch from it. He plopped it down on the desk without much care of thought.

"One-hundred gold marks in advance pay," he stated, taking a long sip of wine from his jewel adorned cup. "And three-hundred more for a job well done. Bring me the head of the beast. I want it mounted on my wall as decoration for its misdeeds."

Taking the healthy gold pouch from him, Subaru smiled as he gripped it in his hand. "I'll bring you its head," he said, pausing to take a seat in front of the man now that he had gotten his full and honorable attention. "Now, let's talk about the previous attacks. Do you have any information that could help us in our search for the creature?"

"Certainly," Neryemar scowled, taking another long draw of wine from his cup, rendering it empty. He motioned for the servant adjacent to him to refill it, to which he did so promptly. "The first sighting was not but a fortnight ago. Down by the riverbank, a scouting patrol noticed something sneaking around mischievously on the opposite side of the river. They didn't think much of it then, but it seemed to be something out of the ordinary, so a notice was put out in the village to trod carefully after dark. However, the first attack came just before dawn the following week."

He retrieved a bloody ruby necklace from the desk drawer, and tossed it on the table. "This belonged to the victim, a young woman no older than twenty years. It wasn't a calculated killing or robbery, as this medallion is quite valuable, so we suspected foul play. No body was ever found, just blood, gore and savagery. We kept it under hush to the rest of the village as not to cause panic. However, judging by today's attack, it seems our little beast has a penchant for young women, and it makes its attack just one week apart, at the break of dawn. Quite a simple thing to be understood, really."

"So, the beast is a repeat offender, and he has a methodology to his work, huh." Subaru said, rubbing his temple in thought. Thank you for the information, sir." Subaru made sure to accentuate the politeness of the title at the end.

"It goes without question that the beast has some capability," The noble man swished the wine in his cup back and forth methodically, before continuing with a darker, more somber tone. "I sent a scouting patrol across the riverbank to search for the missing woman, but they never returned. Since then, I have sent envoys to the capital to request help from the kingdom knights but, yet, none have returned as well. I fear the worst for them, and it renders us all but cut off from aid."

"That bad, huh." Subaru replied. This situation was worse than he thought. It was no simple beast they were dealing with, no. This was clearly something more, a demon beast for sure.

He scoffed darkly. "Oh yes, these kinds of beasts are unfortunately all too common in these remote areas. The undisturbed nature of the surrounding area gives them ample grounds for breeding and nesting without problem."

Subaru sighed heavily to himself, this was indeed a mess.

Surprisingly, Emilia stepped up, her soft, gentle voice breaking the thoughts of the two engaged men. "Sir, if I may question you so, why hasn't Priestella sent for aid? You are under Priestella's umbrella of protection, are you not?"

Her penchant for concern was clearly laden in her worried voice. She stared at the man with vibrant amethyst eyes, not that he could see them through her magic cloak.

Neryemar frowned gravely at this question. "No, unfortunately. Due to unfortunate taxation and trade disputes recently, Priestella has removed Nicia from their realm. Even though we are well within their boundaries, we are indeed now a village without a banner. Although I pride myself on our independence, we simply do not have the personnel needed for hunting dangerous monsters such as these."

"That is unfortunate." Emilia replied. Unfortunate that such petty quarrels existed in such a civilized land as Lugnica was. With such dangerous creatures prowling around, all settlements required adequate protection to keep the peace of its people.

"Indeed." he replied evenly, drinking from his cup pensively. "But that is of no matter. We still can request aid from the capital, but I fear the beast is snatching our envoys from the road. It's intelligent, to be sure."

"We understand." Subaru nodded, adding his thanks. "We deeply appreciate the information. We will do our best to take care of it." Sticking the fat money pouch into his pocket, he stood to take his leave.

"Just one more thing." Neryemar added. "Be careful if you go beyond the wood across from the riverbank. There are things much worse than these beasts out there. Do not trust anyone, and keep your wits about you."

Subaru nodded. "Thanks for the warning. We will try to keep our heads alert."

Neryemar raised his jeweled cup to the pair in a toast of good-will. "To your success and good health, I bid you farewell."

Nodding his thanks one final time, Subaru and Emilia walked toward the exit of the village head's quarters. The guard held out his weapon to him, and as he walked by, he took it from him, and they exited swiftly out the door.

Neryemar watched them carefully and with a curious suspicion, he took one final sip from his cup.

. . .

Subaru gazed comfortably out into the dimly lit horizon, the distant lights of Nicia twinkling in the far-off distance. Dusk was falling now, blanketing them in shadow. In front of him rest a roaring fire, crackling with life, whose flames provided a much-needed warmth to offset the cool air of the night. On the opposite side of the fire sat Emilia, who drew her small, pale hands closer to the flame to help stifle the chilly environment. They rested just across the river, having ferried over it quite some time ago, on the edge of the old, dark forest which they had been so warned about. What surrounded them was nothing but wilderness, with a few ruins and craggy, long forgotten remnants of castles which were abandoned some time ago. However, the night was nothing but peaceful, as they hadn't had any sighting of the so-called monster which they were hunting.

As a frosty gust of wind blew between the two, the fire roared just as fiercely in response. Emilia now wore more accommodating attire, covered from head to toe in high quality leather. She was indeed fit for travel and adventure. She bore a pair of brown leather jackboots, with a cotton white long sleeve undershirt, and a simple leather jerkin over the top of it. Likewise, Subaru also wore a similar studded leather jerkin and undershirt, with a newly acquired scabbard to house his blade which hung from his brown belt. As well as this, both wore warm, bountiful green cloaks to keep the elements at bay.

The two had taken their advance pay which they received earlier in the day, and procured a number of supplies which would prove useful to their journey. Likewise, the shopkeeper from earlier also allowed Subaru to keep the blade he had given him, in hopes he would indeed slay the monster plaguing the village. His reasoning was that it had ruined his business, and he wanted nothing short of it being rid of.

The two sat quietly, wondering how they would fell the monster which they had set out to kill. Truthfully enough, he had wondered about Emilia and her elusive spirit, Puck. He had been meaning to ask her about it, but he truly did not want to pry anymore than he had to. Just earlier, he struggled to light the fire in front of them with a flint and tinder. She had giggled at his struggle, and then what followed amazed him. He had had seen her snap her fingers together, and from the tip of her finger conjured a small flame to light the wood. He had wondered about how she warmed the bath from earlier, but now he had some sort of idea. She could cast magic without Puck.

"Emilia?" he said, breaking the comfortable silence. He fingered the pummel of his blade as he continued. "How is it that you can cast magic without Puck now?"

It was a brief question, which cut straight to the chase. She looked down slightly as she heard him, uncharacteristically nervous to respond.

She met eyes with him. "Well, I don't really know myself." Subaru looked at her, slightly confused. "For some reason I remembered that I can use magic on my own. I'm not sure why, or how. I just remembered the night we escaped Sanctuary. I'm sorry if that's not a good answer."

She nervously toyed with the lifeless, dull crystal which rested at the base of her chest, and continued. "I haven't been able to contact Puck for a long time now. I hope that he did not break his contract with me…" Her voice got weaker as she finished the sentence.

Noticing her worry over Puck, Subaru stood and walked over to her, taking a seat right next to her. Reassuringly he reached an arm around her, in a small but meaningful gesture.

"Don't worry, Emilia." he said comfortingly. She retreated into his embrace, enjoying his much-needed company. "I'm sure Puck is okay, wherever he is, and I'm sure he has his reasons."

"Yeah…" she whispered in reply, snuggling into the safe, warm confines of himself.

She missed Puck, but what she had lost in her father-daughter relationship with Puck, she had more than gained in her newfound love with Subaru. That didn't keep her from worrying about him, however. He was all she knew for the many young years of her long life, and she just wanted to make sure he was okay. If indeed he broke his contract with her, then at the very least she wanted to understand why he had done so. Puck had made a promise to her, she knew he would keep it.

Subaru didn't quite know what Emilia was going through, but he held her tight anyway. She had been there so many times for him in his dark moments, this was the least he could offer her. And so, he just held her even tighter, protecting her in his own special way.

"Hey, Emilia?" he whispered to her, gently brushing her bangs from her eyes. She looked up to him, with vibrant purple orbs. "I'm happy to be with you." It was simple, but true.

She flinched, his plain, raw words filling her with emotion.

"Me too." she replied, it was barely a whisper.

Subaru almost didn't hear her response, but he understood perfectly anyway. She had buried her face in his arms, and the two sat cozily by the fire for quite some time, enjoying the clear night sky. During their embrace, Subaru spent his time counting the everlasting stars above, watching the full moon shine ever watchful over them like a beacon in the dark. It was easy to enjoy time like this in the presence of Emilia. He didn't mind the small, meaningful moments like this that he would remember forever. In fact, it was these small moments that he cherished more above all else. Even though he still craved adventure to some degree, he wouldn't have any issue in settling down somewhere quiet, undisturbed by the passages of time, with her by his side. If only it were possible.

Emilia's breath was evenly paced, but ne'er did she sleep. Tonight wasn't the night for that, no, unfortunately they had business to attend to, but for now she would just enjoy the tranquility of this sweet moment. The two sharing an innocent embrace by a warm, toasty fire, undisturbed by the happenings of the world. Sheer chance did not bring them together like this, nor was it happenstance that she was growing to love her time shared with Subaru. Although the pain and suffering the two had endured was insurmountable, and all of those they had lost still pained them, she still felt blessed to be held by him.

Some time had passed before the last few dying embers of the flame began to burn out. The hazy charcoaled ash which was all that remained of the once vigorous fire blew out with one hefty gust of wind. It was by then, the two decided they would set out into the dark unknowns of the wood which awaited them.

Preparing their equipment and gathering their wits about them, the two took a route off the beaten path which clearly had long since been abandoned. Soon, they were absorbed into the mass of trees. The immense, sprawling redwoods, clearly older than any living mortal hung over them like vultures ready to claim its dying prey. Long, thick, grey moss cascaded from their winding branches, and their massive roots jutted up out of the ground, as if the trees themselves were standing above ground.

Subaru kept his hand, prepared and ready on the pommel of his sword as the two moved carefully throughout the unknowns of the ancient wood. It was eerily quiet, too quiet, lifeless almost, as if all the residents of the forest fled from it long ago. Emilia kept pace quietly behind him, alert and ready if anything dangerous would come to pass. However, as the two moved deeper and deeper into the mystical wood, nothing came. By now, they were quite a way into the woodland, without seeing a single solitary sign of life. It was peculiar, more than peculiar, it was just utterly strange. The atmosphere was thick and heavy, as if gravity was heavier here than all other places. The air was hot, and humid, and the breeze which blew so consistently earlier was no where to be found. It was an odd sensation to say the least, as if they had stepped into another world entirely.

Taking a seat on one of the twisted sprawling roots, Subaru sighed to himself.

"I don't understand what's going on here." he said, scratching his chin in thought. "There's nothing here."

There was less than nothing. Nests nestled deeply in the jagged holes of the oaks, had long since been abandoned. The intricate roots which looped in and out and around, ripe for shelter of all kinds, lay waste of all life. There weren't even any insects crawling around in this forest, nor were they buzzing obnoxiously in Subaru's ear as they always did. The forest was just completely devoid of life. Everything was gone.

Emilia looked down at Subaru worryingly, and he met eyes with her. She was clearly uneasy in both her movements and expression. Something was bothering her, but he didn't quite know what.

"I don't think we should be here any longer." she advised to him quietly, taking his hand. "We should go back to the edge of the forest."

"What's wrong, Emilia?"

"I couldn't quite feel it before, but I think this place is cursed," she said, gently squeezing his hand before continuing. "But by who or what I don't know. But we need to leave, now, before we become cursed as well."

"A curse?" Subaru asked, remembering the black magic that was cast upon him, causing the deaths of him and his friends. He stood immediately at the remembrance of such aberration.

Now that he was aware, he could feel its odd presence too. That was the weight which he felt pushing down upon him. It was an odd sensation in the air to which words had difficulty explaining. Nevertheless, they needed to get away from here, and fast.

Hand in hand, the two began quickly toward the exit of the cursed forest. As they ran, they could feel the woods on either side of them quickly becoming thicker, and denser than it had been before. The trees were larger, as if growing in response to their fear. A fear loomed on Subaru's shoulder, as if something dangerous was hovering over him, waiting to strike. The faster they ran, the more it began to appear the exit was growing more and more distant from them, as if they were running backwards. Something was warping their senses. It was foul magic to be sure, Subaru thought to himself. Even so, it couldn't be real, it was all in their heads, and so he kept up the pace. Any minute now they should be through the clearing and out into the grey meadow before the river. He could feel Emilia gripping his hand harder, so hard the whites of her knuckles were showing now. She was scared, more scared than he was.

"Dammit!" he cursed angrily. "Where is it, where is the exit?" It had to be close.

They had been running for what felt like twenty minutes, covering a distance far longer than the one they had made during their careful walk through the forest. It was either time being manipulated, or their sense of time was being distorted. It could be one or the other, but it didn't matter, because both were just as bad.

Suddenly without warning, they crashed through what felt like a pane of thick solid glass. Shattering the spell, they broke through, piercing the edges of the forest and while falling, they found themselves near where their camp used to be.

Crashing to the dirt unexpectedly, Subaru felt like he was being suffocated, as if something was grasping his throat, choking the life from his body slowly. He scrambled in terror, holding his pounding chest as Emilia crawled over to him. She leaned over him to see what was wrong. With panic painted on her face, she placed her palm on his chest, whispering some incantation frantically to herself. He could hear a small, humming sound, and a faint warm light emanated from the palm of her hand. The soothing warmth spread over his body, and he could feel his breath slowly return to normal. Feeling the cool air pass through his lungs yet again, he breathed a deep sigh of relief.

He lay there, and with Emilia still on top of him, he still held his throat as if he were struggling to breath. Now that it was gone, he realized what he was doing, and he relaxed himself, breathing in and out slowly, as his senses returned to normal.

 _What the hell was that?_

As he felt himself break through whatever that was, he could feel a cold chill pass through his body, and then the panic and terror which stifled his breath took over his every sense. He had felt as if he were drowning, utterly unable to breath. If Emilia wasn't here, he surely would have suffocated, a cold miserable end to his life.

He noticed Emilia leaning over him, clearly worried to death about him. Her eyes were glistening with small tears, and she held him with such care and devotion that it surprised even him.

She was scared to lose him. He was the last person she had in this world, as sad as that may sound. He cursed himself silently for scaring her like he did. He would do his best to be more careful next time. Yet again, he went into a situation that he couldn't yet handle by himself, and almost got himself killed. It was a bad habit he had to be sure.

"Somebody placed a curse over this entire wood." Emilia said, hugging him in desperation. She was emotional as her voice fluctuated rapidly. "I'm so sorry I didn't notice soon enough. I'm so sorry Subaru." She repeated her sorrow over and over to him.

"Figures it was a curse…" he said, wrapping his arms around the panicked half-elf. "Hey, Emilia, you didn't do anything wrong. Come on, it's okay." He tried to calm her down, to reassure her that he was okay, but it was difficult.

In essence, she really didn't do anything wrong, but it was Emilia's natural behavior to blame herself for things that happened to Subaru. It was more his fault than her own. She didn't know any better, and it was wrong to let her shoulder the blame for it.

"No…" she replied, tightening her grip on Subaru. "As a magic user, I should be able to detect something like that. We should never have gotten that far inside without me noticing. It was almost too late, any longer, and we would have been cursed as well."

He had figured it was something sort of like that. Once they had busted out of the confines of the curse, something akin to a safeguard activated, probably to keep people from escaping. However, for some reason, it didn't have the devastating effect that whoever cast it would have liked. Or maybe it did, and Emilia just kept it from spreading in time. He guessed he had taken the forefront of the spell because he was in front of Emilia when they broke out so spontaneously.

"What a weird experience that was." He held his chest, his hectic breathing quickly returning to normal. "Who would be powerful enough to place a curse on an entire forest?"

Emilia shook her head. "I don't know… but maybe it could be the one responsible for murdering the townspeople?"

"Possibly." Subaru agreed.

It was certainly suspect. A curse on an entire forest? Envoys going missing? People being snatched away from their homes, never to be seen again? This sounded like something to do with the Witch Cult. They were a devious and most disgusting band of freaks to be sure. However, there was a possibility that this had nothing to do with them at all. Whatever the case may be, someone was going through great lengths to keep people out of that forest, and for what reason Subaru didn't even want to guess. No doubt something sinister was happening, and it was happening right under the noses of the Kingdom Knights of Lugnica and Priestella.

"At any rate, we should return back to the village and share with Neryemar the knowledge we have gained from this." He stood and gathered himself, shaking off the haunt of death which threatened him yet again. "This may be bigger than just a mere monster taking people from the river."

Emilia nodded in agreement, gathering herself as well.

With such a powerful curse like that over a wood that stretched for miles, it would be unlikely a simple demon beast would be the one responsible. The one responsible would be someone more of Roswaal L. Mathers caliber. A powerful mage or sorcerer would no doubt the likely candidate for such an incantation. To be able to manipulate time and space like that and to such a degree, Emilia had never seen such power before, let alone witnessed it first hand, and even become a victim of it. It was an experience she would not like to take part in again.

It was still relatively early into the morning, probably something between one or two. They had to return to the village and warn them of what happened. After a moments time, they began to cross over the hill and down into the clearing by the riverbank. Far off into the distance, they could see a heavy smoke blanketing the horizon.

"No way." Subaru couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Where the once bustling and prosperous village of Nicia used to be, was in its place a blazing, seething fire, which consumed the entire village in devastation. Its inferno was so bright that it pierced the night sky for miles upon miles of land.

"Oh, no..." Shocked, Emilia held onto Subaru as they witnessed the destruction of the village they just moments ago left.

The two stared in sheer horror at the sight before them.

Above the carnage and destruction, the moon still hung brilliantly over the fire which blazed below it, all of it reflecting calmly onto the peacefully flowing river.


	3. Above Strife, Beneath Harmony

**Above Strife, Beneath Harmony**

. . .

Before the weight of their ineluctable toil eluded him no more, Subaru suddenly realized that they were probably making a very grave mistake. Every instinct he had was screaming at himself to paddle downstream, not across it as they were. Escape, he told himself over and over. Even though, amongst his turmoil and destruction of the self, he gritted his teeth, furrowed his brow, and continued wading through the boggy water which drew a line through the two pernicious hells.

Their boat rocked against the wind stricken waters. To his back, rest the cursed wood, and to his front, remained nothing but a solemn memory of a village once teeming with life, sadistically reduced to nothingness.

He looked back for a moment, suddenly realizing why he acted so contradictory of himself.

In a race against time, Emilia paddled just as furiously as he. Something odd bit at him. The futility of her hope is what it was. She clung desperately to it like a child clung to her mother. It was a small, feeble hope that maybe they could save at least one life among the ruins, while unwittingly risking their own in the process. Subaru knew better of it, but even so he could not garner the courage to speak up. Such destruction was something beyond their capability to alter, and the past could not so easily be undone like it had been before. It was his fault, he figured. Still, she did not know about his former power, nor would he ever let the idea of it escape his lips again.

Their wooden dinghy bobbed clumsily up and down as it struggled to find its way across the water. They were almost to the other-side of the river now, close enough to feel the heat of the burning village and clear enough to see burning ashes and embers filling the darkness around them with small speckles of light. The everlasting moon above was now hidden, blanketed in a thick, sooty smoke, banishing its presence and allowing no betrayal of the night which enshrouded them. However, the encroaching flames of the village began to envelop the area in all its ferocity, splashing light against the dark of the night like spilled paint on a canvas.

It was a queer thing to witness. The world took up something of an insidious red hue, almost like they had taken a wrong turn into some otherworldly hell. Even the usual murky green water reflected the devilish light in such a way that the water itself appeared to burn with both fury and ardor.

With Emilia at his back, Subaru bit back a curse, and against his own better instinct, refused to back down. As their creaking boat made one final lurch forward, it docked itself unceremoniously onto the bank of the river.

Rotten wood met damp dirt. With sword in hand, Subaru jumped out of the dinghy, landing with a thud onto the riverbank. Behind him, Emilia stepped carefully out of the boat. He noticed her breathing was uneven, signifying her unease and distress. Wordlessly, she nodded to Subaru, and he returned the gesture in kind. Facing forward, he peered in the direction of the fire.

It was now or never. Soon, all that would remain of the village would be the charred remnants of a previous life lost.

Staying low to the ground, Subaru cautiously approached a nearby bush to survey the area under some sort of cover. Emilia was careful in following him, their pace matching almost step for step. Subaru looked out over the clearing, observing the bonfire that was the village of Nicia.

It was lifeless, and apart from the rising heat which brought beads of sweat to his forehead, there wasn't much else of note. The flames roared and crackled with life, the wooden settlements providing more than enough base for a healthy blaze. The air he took into his lungs became more and more polluted with each breath. They had to be quick if they were to do anything meaningful here.

Subaru narrowed his eyes. Beyond the clearing separating the village from the small harbor, there was a small, almost unnoticeable shuffle in the distance, vanishing just as quickly as it appeared. It could be someone in need of help.

"Look, over there." Emilia whispered.

She must have noticed it too, because she pointed in the same direction. Subaru looked back to Emilia, and then back to the roaring fires. He let out a haggard sigh and withdrew his blade from its sheathe.

It was too late to turn back now. Indeed, he was just as curious as anyone else would be in this situation. He wasn't sure what could have caused the destruction of this place in such a short time, but he could probably name a few likely candidates.

He stepped in over the brush and moved carefully through the overgrown path. He paid close attention to his surroundings, making sure that they were not to be seen. Sweat pooled at his forehead now, the growing heat from the fires quelling the previous cool nights air.

With keen ears, Subaru listened closely for any sign of life, but he heard nothing but the sounds of flame bursting, as it consumed everything it met. It was something he somewhat expected.

Behind him, Emilia had strayed from Subaru's side ever so slightly. Her breath was labored in the smoky haze which surrounded them. She strained herself not to cough and give away their presence.

Suddenly, in the distance between two burning buildings, she could barely hear what sounded like a plea for help. Although it was difficult to hear through the wild howl of the flames, she could still make out the vague syllables. She focused herself in the direction of the faint voice, pulling her attention away from her surroundings.

Preoccupied with the voice, she didn't even realize that Subaru had left her side some time ago. Slowly she approached the distant voice. She heard it again, clearer than it had been before. Something was not right however, as the voice which seemed to originate from the burning cottage in front of her had changed direction. Now it was much closer than before, too close.

Emilia froze, now focused on what was going on around her. She could hear heavy footsteps, too heavy to be Subaru's. Her eyes widened at the dark aura approaching her. Without moving, she prepared a small counter spell with her right hand. Her hand radiated faintly with a small flame.

She had to be quick.

"What do we have here?" The sinister voice came from behind her.

Emilia went to turn, but it was too late. A coarse, dirty hand covered her mouth to keep her from speaking the incantation to finish the spell, and a knife just brushed over her neck. Her heart dropped, and she froze in terror in the bandit's grasp. She could feel the coolness of the blade pressed firmly against her skin. The vagabond tightened his grip on her, making sure to stifle any attempted plea for help.

She couldn't make out her assailant quite clearly, but he appeared to be a younger man, maybe in his late twenties. His face eluded her, concealed under the confines of a dark hood.

"A half-witch whore?" The bandit whispered into her pointy ear. He ran his coarse tongue over her ear lustfully before continuing. "What's a precious little flower like yourself doing out here all alone, eh?"

Emilia flinched at the unwanted contact, but she dared not to fight back with the dagger pressed violently at her throat. The filthy man continued playing with her, feeling her up in places only one person was allowed access to. She felt violated. Emilia bit her tongue and shut her eyes as the man touched her. His very smell made her want to throw up, let alone the feel of his slimy hands.

"Now Miss, I haven't felt one as soft as you in my short life-time." he said darkly, it barely a whisper through the night air. "My life may be ending soon, so just a little more if I may?"

She shut her eyes in resignation as he continued to feel her up. Emilia could feel something she hadn't felt for a long, long time. It was hate, and it burned and swelled up deep inside her. She was nothing to this man, other than a base tool for his pleasure. She was a worthless half-elf to the common people, one who was nothing but a bringer of bad omen and ill fortune. Her indignities that she suffered now, that he was perpetrating onto her, rung but a hollow bell toll through the ethical boundaries of humanity. Her feelings mattered not, and that made her feel such a thing as hate, more than she ever had before.

She opened her amethyst eyes.

Where had Subaru gone? He would come. She knew he would. He would rescue her, and punish the filthy man which violated her as he did. She was sure of it. Subaru had to be close by. Wasn't he just behind her?

A sudden sharp pang in her heart knocked the air from her lungs. No, they couldn't have.

He couldn't be gone. She tried her best to banish the thought of losing Subaru from her mind, but she felt hot tears well up in her eyes anyway. It was too much to even consider. If she lost him, he who meant the entire world to her. No, she couldn't even fathom it. Silently, she cursed herself for coming here. This was all her fault. If they just left, leaving the fires in their wake, none of this would have happened. Again, her natural inclination to help others superseded her better instinct of self-preservation, and look just where it got her.

The tears fell now, although no one cared that they did. The vagrant just grinned unpleasantly with his teeth bared in a snarl. The man had no shame in who he was or what he was doing. He probably had nothing to do with the actual village fire itself, as he was just a byproduct of its existence. It appeared that he was here to loot from the destruction, uncaring of those around him or what had happened. He had violated her, and paid no real attention to it. He was quite simply, a wretched existence.

Emilia choked back a sob. If Subaru was gone, she didn't want to live in this world anymore anyway. He was all she had left.

Another man approached from the shadows behind. He was shorter than the other, although just as twisted and wild looking. He sneered at his partners exotic find, and clapped his hand against his knee, clearly excited. The one who held her had since finished his tormenting of Emilia. He glared at the shorter man, appearing to be somewhat unamused.

"Gag her, so the witch-freak doesn't cast a spell on us." he said, nodding at her.

The short one gasped when he saw her pointed ears. With haste, he withdrew a dirty bandana from his pants pocket and inserted it into her mouth, gagging her. She wanted to bite down on his fingers as hard as she could, but the knife was still against her neck. He wrapped another cloth around her mouth, tying the gag in place, and silenced her for good.

With newfound strength, she struggled, bucking against his coarse grasp, but the overwhelming power of the two fully grown men proved to outmatch her own feeble strength. Tired of the struggle, the man pulled the jagged knife from her throat and back handed her uncaringly across the mouth, knocking her into a daze. She lurched in his arms, unconscious.

Watching her fall limp in his arms, the other man scratched his chin, and pointed to the west.

"There was another boy over yonder. No trouble he was. Got 'em good I did. Bashed his head right in with a rock." He cackled and let out a vile, hysteric laugh.

"Where's the others?" The other said shortly. Disdain in his voice was more evident than before.

"They gone back to camp already, boss." The short one replied.

"Let's head back then." he said, patting the unconscious girl on the back mockingly. "I got us a present for the boys tonight, 'gonna have a romp with this one they will." His tone was sarcastic, but his partner probably couldn't tell.

"By god, I've never fucked a half-elf." With every syllable the man spit from his mouth. "I heard if you plough 'em on a full moon you'll have magical powers come 'morn."

There was no reply, only silence considering his comment. The man scoffed, and turned to the east. With Emilia still over his shoulder, he began walking away. His wordless respite signaled the other man to follow him, and so he did.

The flames still roared just as heavily as before. It would be some time before the final embers would burn out, leaving nothing but the charred remains of a village.

The man holding Emilia grinned. He had no idea what had happened, only that his band of outlaws had seen the smoke from afar, and they came quickly to investigate. They never could have expected to find what they did. They were low on supplies themselves, and so it was the perfect opportunity to capitalize on. Having pilfered, looted, and taken all that they could, their reason for being here had ended. They had to head further north, and with great haste. No doubt the law was hot on their trail. He considered what few options they had, and came to only one conclusion. They had to leave Lugnica, and fast.

Just two suns and two moons ago, they had robbed, stolen from, and murdered one of the wealthiest merchants in all of Lugnica.

"Verizar, wait up!" The short one called out his name. He picked up speed to walk side by side with him. "Hey boss, why're you in such a hurry?"

The two were dressed in darkness yet again, as they had left the burning village some time ago. With the moon being their only light, it hung patiently at their backs as they moved through the darkened field. Close by, was the sleepy forest adjacent to Nicia, which led them to the crossroads between north to Priestella, and south back to the Capital.

"Haven't had a shower in days," he quipped, smirking at his dirtied hands, near blackened by dirt and grime. "Wouldn't mind one, and the sooner we get to Priestella the better."

Afterwards, the two men said nothing for a time. Their walk had led quite a way into the forest now, and they had made quite sure to stay off the main road. It wasn't that it made their journey any easier, but it certainly made it safer. The road between Priestella and the Capital was littered with guard patrols and other unwelcomed interference.

The two could smell something smoky, and something delicious, coming from just up ahead. He paid close mind to his steps now, approaching both carefully and with great precision. Stepping gently through the soft ground, he eyed a small wire just under his heel. It fell in and out of focus of his sight, the thin strip almost impossible to see in the dark night. The moonlight had caught it at just the right angle, revealing its otherwise unknown presence.

He smirked to himself, and stepped carefully over it. He signaled to his partner of its existence. Protective measures like this were necessary when camping out in the wilds like they were, to easily alert themselves to any unwanted company, human or beast. Much to his chagrin, his bumbling buffoon of a partner almost tripped over the wire as he stepped over it. Why he allied with such people he would never understand.

Sighing heavily, Verizar silently judged him from afar, but he decided yet to leave it alone. By now, the girl on his shoulders would be waking soon, although he was almost unsure of why he brought her along now. Initially he did not care what would happen to her, and maybe he would even throw her to the wolves, and let his men have their way with her. However, as he walked across the moonlit night, he eyed her as she rested fast asleep on his shoulder. He had given her some essence of wormroot to ease the ride, and sure enough she rested well. Her face was serene, and her silver hair glistened in the softly illuminated dusk.

 _Probably a witch charm_. He mused quietly to himself.

He wasn't soft like that. He shook away the thought of her having an effect on him, although he did feel some measure of pity for her, and even _some_ remorse. Maybe he shouldn't have treated her like he did. Sure, he was no stranger to misdeeds.

Stepping foot inside his camp, he glared at his two other associates who slept comfily under the night stars. The fire they birthed was lit dimly with a few last dying embers left before it would extinguish. The night air was cool, even if the tall pines provided some protection against the breeze.

He laid Emilia down onto a soft patch of grass and removed her gag. Her breath was even, still under full effect of the wormroot which ensnared her in a deep sleep. He took her gag and bound her wrists with it.

Maybe once she woke he could set things right.

He was a thief, a murderer to be sure, but he did have remorse for his past actions, albeit some more than others. The world was dark and sad, as it had always been since he was a child. Nothing had changed since he grew into adulthood, nor would it ever. The poor died in the piss and shit filled streets at a young age while the rich grew old, fat and eventually died surrounded by their gems, rocks and gold. That was life as he knew it, and how many of the common folk viewed it as well.

He sat down by the fire and drew his hands closer to the withering flame. The effect was negligible. Grimacing, he took some of the stray firewood on the side and tossed it in the pile, stoking it gently. The dry tender was just enough to get the fire going strong again, bringing instant relief to his chilled hands.

His upbringing wasn't any excuse for his actions, and that's not to say there could ever be an excuse for what he had done. To him, it was all the same. Those who were victim of cruelties, no matter how small or consequential, sometimes in turn dealt their own cruelties onto others in return, until only wickedness was left in the world. One cruelty produced another, and so on, and because of that, he didn't care. In the end, he knew what he was doing, and he owned every one of the decisions he had made.

He pulled his cloak back, revealing a fair but unkempt face, covered in a dark brown scruff of a beard. His brow furrowed heavily over his dark eyes, and his wild hair cascaded down past his collar, a testament to his time spent on the road and without a proper cut. He could clean up quite nicely if he wanted to, not that he ever would.

It would be morning before the girl would awake, and because of that he could afford to close his eye for a minute or two. He couldn't remember a time when he didn't sleep on the ground, whether it be dirt, grass or anything else. He never had a place to call home, never staying in one place for any noteworthy time. He found himself most comfortable, surrounded by nothing but the steady breeze, and the natural surroundings of the trees and wildlife. No loud bustling of the big city life, no putrid smell of dragon shit in the air or human filth. No, he wouldn't find that out on the path of the wilds.

The fire next to him burnt long after Verizar had past into the deep thralls of sleep. The steady, scented smoke of the flame cut through the trees like a silver arrow through the night.

Overtaken by rest, it was too late before he heard the gurgling sounds of death escape the mouths of his friends.

. . .

He lay face down in the dirt. Fires blazed all around him, uncaring of his existence, nor of his plight.

As he regained consciousness, his breath stirred, and he blew quick, panicked breaths from his mouth against the grimy mud. While he struggled to get his wits about him, he remembered where he was, and why he was here.

He was in the ruined village of Nicia, and he came here with Emilia. He thought he had died, but maybe he was mistaken after all. Focusing, he tried to remember who or what had attacked him, but he couldn't find the answer. There was nothing, except turning to call for Emilia's name, as she had unexpectedly drifted from his side, and then what followed was only darkness.

Dried blood encrusted over his eyes broke apart when he opened them, which were now sunken in a swirling mix of purple shades. He rose his hand to wipe the hardened blood from his eyes. His head wound had bled profusely, and it had pooled from his ears as well.

Grimacing, he propped himself up on one arm, and tried to get up. In his foolhardy attempt, he stumbled, and almost fell to the ground, catching himself at the last second.

It felt like a hammer was pounding a nail into his skull over and over relentlessly and without mercy. The pain was all encompassing, always there and beckoning him to fall into madness. In his nadir, his mind was processing at a very low level of coherence, but he saw the same silver-haired half-elf flash across his mind yet again.

"Emilia!" His heart pummeled against his sternum.

Frantically he looked around, but he saw nothing but the remnants of a burning village. He screamed her name again, and again, slurring the words as he did so. With an effort he took a step, and another. Soon, sheer willpower fueled the machinations of his shocked body. He gripped the pommel of his blade with fury, and ripped it from its sheath. He fell on it for support, stabbing it into the muck.

He would make sure he would find whoever did this, and when he did, he would make them suffer. He would make them regret leaving him with his sword, a means for revenge. Too long had he dealt with such events as this. Death, devastation and chaos followed him like a ghost haunting him at every corner. His rage fueled his desire to quell those ghosts that tormented him endlessly once and for all. He would make sure they were sorry for leaving him for dead without finishing the job, whoever it was. He would show them no mercy, no quarter like he had done all those times before.

He heard nothing in response to his calls from the village which entrapped him, and there was no sign of Emilia either. Desperate, he paced himself quickly, using his blade like a walking stick. Suddenly, he stepped on something hard, catching his attention. He looked down, and raised the heel of his boot. Underneath it lay a small emerald crystal embedded in the soil like a seed. He eyed it carefully, before realizing.

"Puck…" he said, reaching down to remove the lost spirit from its earthly grave.

With a closed fist, he gripped the crystal necklace so tight it drew blood in his hand. It felt good, as it took his focus off the constant agony of his skull. He was sure now that something bad had befallen his Emilia. A furious anger swelled to a head within him, and with it came desperate determination. Quietly, he seethed to himself beneath the starry night, surrounded by flames which burned in a reflection of his inner turmoil.

Suddenly, he felt a deathly chill overtake him, as if he stepped into the middle of a raging blizzard. The emerald jewel pulsated with life in his grasp, and he recoiled violently from a sharp, stabbing pain. Solemnly, the pendant fell to the dirt yet again, but his surroundings grew very dim, and time appeared to slow to a crawl. Flames burnt slowly, and the air became very arid and dry. Something prodded his subconscious, inviting themselves into his inner sanctum of mind and thought.

" _They took my daughter_." The voice was distant, and almost unclear to him, but he understood its urgency.

"Wha—?" Subaru was cut off.

" _To the forest east of here, go now. I will guide you to her."_

The jewel glowed faintly, more than it had for a long time. Without warning, it shattered into a thousand tiny pale fragments, leaving nothing but a small, translucent glowing blue orb behind. The lonesome spirit hovered upward, and briefly floated near Subaru, before abruptly dashing into the night sky, leaving a faint trail of dust in its wake.

Subaru knew he had little time to spare, and so he followed it before it could dissipate. It led him from the burning village, and toward the forest.

The fresh smell of the trees and crispness of the air was heady. His surroundings were like a blur, as he moved through the night with fierce determination and decisiveness. The pulsating spirit which guide him served as his only illumination through the wood, as the moon overhead was blacked out by the overcast.

At he moved through the night, Subaru appeared to be calm on the outside, but inside he was a boiling inferno. His breath was fierce, and uneven. He had never once felt so filled with such silent rage before. Emilia being taken from him like this, he couldn't stand it. He mind, as fragile as it was, was slowly snapping. It was detached and splintered from reality, like a needle piercing its way through the endless voids of time. She was the only thing left in this world that he held so dearly, and he would do everything in his power to make sure he wouldn't lose her too.

And those who stood in his way? Simply put, he would kill them all.

Deep within him, he felt a mysterious energy swelling. It gave him focus, and the will to act. He didn't quite know what it was, but it wasn't unwelcomed. Too long had he been weak, too long had he let those he loved to be hurt or even killed. He was powerless to stop the events which spiraled towards destruction right in front of him. Instead, he had to rely on others to support him, even though he wanted to be the one to make a difference. It was selfish, but he was tired of sitting by the wayside, watching others save him time and time again.

No longer would he fear death, no longer would he fear those who hunted him.

No, he was the one they would fear.

When he came into this world, he was nothing but a naive child. Blind to the truth and reality that he was nothing but a weakling. And instead of facing his weaknesses, instead of detesting himself for what he was, he hid it behind a cushion of lies, as if he were hiding a rotting corpse. His shame was buried under the guise of a fool, and now he finally understood. It took a thousand deaths for him to realize it.

There would be no more lies. No more deceit of the self. He fully understood his ineptitude, and because of it, he would rectify every error of his ways.

The little spirit in front of him paused, vibrated furiously, and then faded from sight. At this, Subaru knelt, careful not to alert anyone to his presence. Up ahead he could smell the faint scent of a burnt-out fire. There was a small clearing where the moon cut through like a knife, basking the area in a bluish light. Underneath the light, lay five individuals sleeping soundly beneath the starry night sky. Among them, was the unmistakable. A silver-haired elf lay unconscious, her hair gleaming in the reflection of the moon.

"Emilia." He whispered to himself.

He felt seething hatred take over every machination of his body. From his boot he withdrew a dagger in his left hand, and carefully he readied his sword with his right. Its blade shimmered brightly in the darkness. His face was in a snarl, and his teeth were gritted to a point where it was painful.

Carefully, he approached, so his footsteps elicited no sound. He was quiet, like a predator stalking its prey, ready to strike at any moment. As he took a step ever so slowly, he felt something just barely brush over his foot. In the corner of his eye, lay a small wire. To the untrained eye it was almost invisible in the shrouded darkness.

As he breathed a sigh of relief, he felt a bead of sweat tumble down his forehead. He made sure to wipe it away before it fell. Stepping silently into the camp, he approached one of the slumbering individuals.

With his dagger in hand, it hovered near the unknowing man's neck. He made sure not to look at his face, he didn't want any regrets.

With one quick motion he embedded the blade deep into his throat and tore it out. He felt warm blood splash against his face as his shocked victim awoke in terror, with death knocking at his doorstep. Subaru held his hand over the man's mouth as the blood pooled from his neck, drowning himself in his own bodily fluid. He struggled, but Subaru straddled him, so he couldn't draw any unwanted attention. With death already overtaking the man, his struggle was short-lived. Soon his body fell limp, and his panicked eyes rolled back into his head.

Nonchalantly, he peered around the encampment. Nobody had noticed what he had just done.

That just left three more, but the other three were closer together, which would pose a problem. He decided he needed to act fast, and brazenly. The element of surprise was certainly a factor here, but it could only get him so far.

Gripping both blades with fury, he leapt from the gurgling corpse and with precision, he lodged the blood-stained dagger into another man's neck. He awoke with a shock and clawed madly at the blade stuck in his throat. Incapacitated, he would drown in his own blood as well.

As the panicked sounds of death rung throughout the night, the other two men finally stirred from their sleep. Leaping up, the brown-haired man grasped his sword which lay next to him and readied himself. The other wasn't so lucky. With speed, Subaru had already brought his sword down upon the man's collarbone as he reached for his weapon, cutting through his lungs and heart mercilessly. He fell to the ground dead.

Subaru put his foot against the corpse and wedged his blade from it, spewing the area in blood. The other man spasmed violently, kicking and wailing with the dagger still stuck in his throat.

Readying himself, the brown-haired man brought his blade up just in time for the strike, parrying the blow from Subaru with great speed and agility. He recoiled, stumbled backward, and readied himself in a wild stance, with his sword hung overhead.

Subaru grimaced and stared the man down with all the hatred he could muster. The brown-haired man just gazed at him with a clear cool head. He furrowed his brow, and nodded his head at the unconscious girl which still lay amongst the bloodbath of his friends.

"That elf-bitch is your girl, huh?" he said plainly, before continuing. "I can see why you're so pissed. Believe me, I would be too if someone just kidnapped my girl as well."

Subaru said nothing in reply.

"Got nothing to say, huh? Well, let's get this over with then."

Wordlessly Subaru lunged forward blade in hand, and swung it clean from the side in a uppercut. His opponent parried him effortlessly, knocking him off balance. He could have struck him down, but he didn't.

"You fucking son of a bitch." Subaru spit with malice and hatred. "Don't toy with me!"

He leapt forward again, this time from head on. His movements were easy to follow for the seasoned duelist, or for someone of Verizar's caliber.

He smiled to himself, and blocked the incoming jab. The blade passed harmlessly by him, and he thrust his shoulder into Subaru, shoving him to the ground.

Disarmed, Subaru lay there, helpless and exposed. Verizar's blade hovered just over his face, ready to end his life at any moment. But the blade did not fall, nor did it withdraw.

Subaru's breathing was heavy, his heart pounding violently against his chest, almost like it was going to burst. He felt like this before, always before he met the cold bitter end of death.

"You're beat, kid." Verizar said mockingly. "You might have got the drop on my friends, but you won't get the drop on me. You should have taken me out first dumbass, if you wanted to play hero so badly."

His mind raced as he desperately looked for a way out. He couldn't cast any magic, as his gate was still wrecked beyond repair. He couldn't reach his sword. What then, could he do, except die?

As he eyed the blade which hovered tauntingly in front of him, he furrowed his brow. There was one chance, but he had to be quick.

With great speed, he pushed himself off the ground and gripped the blade with all his might. It cut through his hand, but it caught Verizar off guard enough to surprise him.

Verizar pulled, attempting to withdraw the blade from Subaru's grasp, but his grip stood strong. Blood pooled down the edge of the blade and onto his pommel.

"The hell…" Verizar cursed.

Subaru pushed with all of his might to throw his opponent onto his back, using his sword as a catalyst. His last-ditch effort was almost successful. To his surprise, Verizar dropped his sword to the ground, and as Subaru fell forward, he drew a small blade from his belt and stuck it into his back, right near the shoulder.

Subaru gasped at the sudden sharp pain and fell to the ground. He rolled over onto his side and gripped the blade and attempted to remove it, but it was wedged between the bone. Quickly he scrambled, struggling to get to his feet. He limped backward as his assailant approached. Suddenly, the hunter became the hunted. In a gamble, he overplayed his hand, and he had lost.

His breathing was labored now, as he rasped for breath. His physicality was beginning to show its limit, no matter what obsession fueled him as it did. He was only human, after all.

Verizar scoffed at the pitiful sight in front of him. He almost felt bad for the kid. To come this far just to fail, that amused him more than anything else.

"You know, I have to give you credit." he said, raising his sword above for the final blow. "You lasted longer against me than most ever did, but now the game has to come to an end."

Frozen in terror, Subaru was powerless to defend against the blow. Verizar brought his arm down, the blade fell, but nothing hit Subaru.

In front of him, lay a golden aura of fire. It hovered brilliantly in front of him, guarding himself from the devastating killing blow with its burning blaze. Subaru looked around, confused as to what was happening.

"What in the hell!" Verizar pulled back, and looked around him. His eyes widened at what he saw. "That witch!"

Emilia stood there, her amethyst eyes glistening with tears of anger. Her hands were still bound behind her back, but that didn't keep her mouth from speaking a protective incantation. The air around them became dry, as all the moisture of the forest began to dissipate, evaporating in the presence of her power.

The heat in the air became so intense that her bounds burnt to a crisp, finally freeing her hands. She outstretched her arm in the direction of Verizar, and fire combusted at the palm of her hand.

His eyes widened in shock, and from his pouch he pulled a small grey ball. Immediately. he threw it against the ground, and the entire area went up in a grey smoke.

With the shield of fire still surrounding Subaru, Emilia raised both of her hands in the air and released a firewall that encompassed the entire camp, burning all in its path, including the grey smoke. As the flame began to fade, she stumbled slightly, but was caught by Subaru. She had exhausted herself by conjuring such a power she couldn't even remember learning.

Subaru looked around them. The man had obviously escaped. Only the charred remains of his companions remained. The putrid smell of burnt flesh filled the air, and Subaru thought of nothing but to get away from here.

"Emilia…" he spoke slowly, his pain slowing his ability to speak. "Let's go somewhere safe."

She looked at him with large tear-filled eyes, and nodded solemnly. She couldn't look at him in the eye right now, she couldn't bear to see the pain.

He had gotten hurt because of her yet again. Because of her, he had suffered.

With the knife still embedded in his back, he wrapped her arm around his shoulder to help her walk. Even though he was the one who probably needed help walking more than her, he still couldn't resist offering her his aid. Unwittingly, she accepted his help.

As the two slowly paced themselves away from the camp, Emilia looked back at the carnage which they left in their wake. She saw the remains of the three bandits which just moments ago drew breaths of life. Never before had she done something like this, not since…

"Don't look back there, Emilia." Subaru chided her, and with his bloodied fingers he tenderly touched her cheek. "Just forget about it, okay. Just look at me, just think about us."

Her tear-speckled amethyst orbs locked eyes with his hazel, accidentally revealing herself to him, and he peered into her troubled soul. He saw the pain, the anger that she felt, and the sadness.

He had to do something, but he knew only one way to comfort her, and that was with his love.

Only when he gripped her hand, and only then did she realize how hard she had been clinging to him. His lips pressed against her own and his blood and dirt covered hand cupped her cheek with gentility. And only then did her tears fall from her stricken eyes, and with it he felt every ounce of feeling that poured from her soft lips. The urgency of her kiss, the occasional bite of the lip, her passion as she pressed against him, even as a knife still jutted violently from his back.

He didn't care. The only person, the only thing who mattered was the girl who needed him so badly as she did. There was no pain, there was no sorrow, it was gone as soon as they came together as one.

And he told her this with his touch, and with his undying need. He told her how he would give his life for her own, he told her not to worry about his wounds, he told her that the world did not matter when it meant her safety. No word needed be said, as it was all expressed so thoroughly in their mesmerizing ritual.

When they came back to reality that night, the two made their way down to a shallow creek which cut the forest in two. Emilia washed his wounds as best she could and superheated the blade which was stuck inside him. It was painful, but it was necessary to remove it. Subaru did not cry out in agony, nor did he whine. He let her work, and soon he felt the warmth of her healing magic which soothed him from head to toe. His body ached for sleep, and for recovery. Even with her skills, he could still feel the side effects of such devastation to his body, mentally and physically.

Later, after it was all said and done, the two took to the road. Subaru told her about Puck, and what had happened. If not for him, he would not have found her as he did. He owed him a great debt of gratitude. She told him that she knew he hadn't left her, and that she knew he would guide him to her. That was the kind of protective spirit he was.

Come morning, the pair took up the main road for a change, and continued up north toward Priestella. The two were careful to hide their identity to any oncoming traveler, trying their best to avoid attention.

The further they traveled, the colder it got. In the evening they camped by the side of the road, in a small gully. Behind them rest a tree line which cut back into a winding forest they had no interest in traversing. The two hadn't shared much in conversation, instead they just enjoyed their time together without much going on.

Even still, the memory of the burning village of Nicia and the mystery which surrounded it still beckoned him in the back of his mind like a bad headache. The cursed wood, was another point of question for him. Who knows if those two events are connected? Even now, he guessed it didn't matter. Such events like those were out of his hands in the first place. He tried to push the thought of it away as best he could, but to no avail he was unsuccessful.

They were near the crossroads which lead west to Priestella now, a prime trade route which housed a small outpost full of city officials and management. If they were to pass through there, they would have to be careful and seldom talk to anyone. Emilia had suggested they make a roundabout and avoid the crossroad, but Subaru didn't want to risk anymore violent confrontation for the time being.

While Subaru heard the trotting steps of ground-dragons pass by, he noticed Emilia struggling to light a fire with her fingertips. She furrowed her brow in a pout, clearly beside herself. It was freezing outside, and they could really use a fire.

She snapped her fingers together, over and over as she had done so before, but no fire came. She let out an angry huff. The increasingly cool air required a warm fire to be acceptable at best.

"I don't understand." she whined, continuing to snap her fingers together. "Maybe my gate is worn out from yesterday?"

"Possibly." Subaru said, withdrawing some flint and tinder from his pack. "Guess we can settle for the old-fashioned way, though."

He took a steel piece and wracked it against the flint, over and over, until small sparks lit the dry wood just a little bit.

"See?" Subaru said, pointing at the small flame. "Now, blow, like this."

With precision, he blew just gently on the smoldering tinder. It smoked, and spread throughout the wood. Within moments, a small fire had erected.

"Thank you!" Emilia clapped excitedly, adding more dry tinder and stoking the flame.

"Nothing to it." Subaru brushed off her praise, but gave her a small wink in return.

Even though he was almost certain she knew how to start a fire without magic, he was just trying to humor her and make light about her loss of magical prowess. It would be a damning thing for her gate to be damaged beyond recognition. Her magic was a powerful asset not to just her but to him as well. Without Puck, and a damaged gate, it would be almost impossible for her to cast any sort of magic, and god he knew her powers were important. She needed a means to defend herself, and certainly her magic provided that defense.

A small band of about a dozen merchants and their three ground-dragons made their way down the dusty road toward the outpost. Subaru noticed they were in quite a rush, as the ground-dragons were clearly tired from a long journey. Their deep and repetitive breaths were clearly visible in smoky puffs through the cold air.

Emilia and Subaru both watched the outpost gates swing open without warning, obviously receptive of the merchant's arrival.

The merchants chatted with the guards for a minute. A few choice words were exchanged because he could hear some shouting and other fuss come from their direction. They finished their terse exchange and soon enough they disappeared within the confines of the outpost's walls.

"We need to get in there somehow." Subaru said to Emilia, as he poked at the fire. "But how?"

Emilia thought for a moment, before responding.

"Well, we can pose as a merchant?"

It was a typical idea, almost too simple to work. They didn't look like merchants, a half-elf and a man with no goods to peddle. Definitely merchants, he thought sarcastically to himself.

"No, that wouldn't work." he said, scratching the scruff of his growing beard. "But we could sneak in with one of the merchant patrols that comes through here."

"That's a good idea." Emilia responded positively. Truly it wouldn't be very difficult to accomplish.

"Hopefully they have a tavern there." Subaru stood up, rubbing his starved stomach. "I could use a hot meal and a belly full of fresh mead to ease my mind."

Subaru didn't think himself a drunk, but he certainly wouldn't mind _being_ drunk for a change. It would take his mind off things for a bit, loosen up, that sort of thing.

"Mhmm." Emilia replied with an agreeable moan.

From the distance, Subaru could see another small company of merchants approaching, this time with four ground-dragon caravans transporting goods to Priestella. Perfect opportunity, he thought to himself.

He kicked dirt over the fire to quickly put it out and picked up his sword and belongings. Emilia followed suit and the two scrambled up the ravine just off the road. The two lay prone in wait for the caravans to pass by.

"Just follow me, okay?" Subaru said, holding her hand tight.

She nodded in response and swallowed in preparation.

The ground began to shake as the dragons approached closer and closer. The two watched as they began to pass by them. They would do best to take the final caravan in the back to avoid suspicion.

"Now!" Subaru said.

As the final caravan approached the two jumped up quickly. Subaru took Emilia in his arms and threw her into the back of the caravan, and just barely hung onto the back of it. He almost fell, as it was travelling at quite a fast speed, but Emilia helped him up into the cart. Now, they lay in the back of the transport, undiscovered and on a free ride to the outpost. The caravan shook as it traveled along the road. It was a bumpy ride in the back of a dragon-drawn caravan, as he had once experienced before. But it was no matter, he couldn't complain about their current situation. Everything was going according to plan.

"Well, that couldn't have gone any better." Subaru said.

It went almost too well. Nothing ever went well for him, did it?

"Yeah!" Emilia said excitedly.

The caravan came to a sudden halt, as it began to pass through the gate now, and it swung open just like before. One by one they passed through, and as it came to their turn, he could hear the gate guards exchange a few words with the operator of the ground-dragon.

"What goods are you transporting to Priestella, sir?" The guard asked.

"Armaments and war-time supplies for the guard, sir." The driver replied, somewhat nervously at that.

"Do you consent to a search of your goods and properties?" The guard was clearly growing impatient with the driver of the carriage.

"Oh shit." Subaru cursed to himself. "Not good."

Emilia covered her mouth with her palm in shock.

"No, I do not, sir, and I can assure you my goods are completely legal and of the highest quality." The driver replied.

Both Subaru and Emilia breathed a deep sigh of relief. They were about to be had in the most pathetic way possible.

"Pass on through then." The guard finally said begrudgingly.

Subaru and Emilia kept quiet as the convoy passed into the outpost. In silence, they carefully planned when they would make their escape out into the town. As the caravan made a turn out of sight from the gate-guards, the pair silently slipped out of the caravan and made their way off the road to avoid detection.

Inside the outpost was nothing truly interesting. It served its purpose, to be a trade route between the south cities and the north cities, and for that it worked out perfectly. Trade routes such as these were popular for government officials to inhabit, so they could properly enforce their trade tax which gave financial support to the main cities. Such a tax was a trifling matter indeed when considering that most lesser villages had no governmental support or protection.

There were a few buildings to be seen: shops, houses, along with what looked to be a shanty tavern to house wary travelers. Merchants were going in and out of it quite rapidly, so clearly it was a popular area.

Nobody questioned the two as they made their way to the entrance. Emilia kept her hood over her ears to hide her identity as a half-elf, and Subaru kept calmly to himself. In fact, they blended quite well among the populace.

Subaru rolled the sliding door back, and looked around the nameless tavern. A familiar sight, human, demi-human, merchants, guards, vagabonds, and the like all sharing in the comfort of a warm watering hole. This tavern even had an entourage playing a few merry songs on their lutes and drums. It was a welcomed sight to behold.

Emilia smiled brightly to Subaru and he returned the gesture.

It was areas such as these that took the weight of the world off his shoulder. It was nice to come here to enjoy a hot meal, forget the worlds troubles and drink all his problems away. In a world like this, who couldn't resist doing that?

Subaru felt his stomach release an angry growl. Emilia stifled a laugh in response to it, much to his embarrassment. Not that she wasn't starving herself, that is.

Even so, it was high time they sat down for some dinner, or they at least needed to get something in their stomachs.

The two sat down at an empty table and Subaru motioned for the bar-lady to bring them something to eat. She nodded shyly and quickly returned with two mugs of mead and the special of the day—which was some type of mashup of potatoes and soup. Subaru flipped her a gold piece in a kind gesture of gratitude and dug into his plate.

Emilia chuckled at her starving partner. If they could go more than a day without missing a meal, that would be just amazing. It felt like every time they went out into the wilds they went days without eating. It was a poor habit to be sure.

As Subaru sipped from his mug of mead he felt the warmth of the liquor sting his throat, but a hot sensation tingled in his belly. Simply put, it felt wonderful. After a few more sips from his mug, the effects of the drink began to take over him. This was a drink that got better after every taste.

He eyed his female partner across from him, who happily sipped from her mug as well. She looked at him with a curious glint in her eye. She was mischievous to be sure.

Subaru hoped things between them would begin to settle down. He enjoyed his budding relationship with Emilia more than anything in the world, but there was such a tension between the two that he could barely stand it. It took every ounce of his will to keep him from jumping on her right here and now in front of everyone. Eventually, that might end badly, he figured to himself.

To be sure, once they got some free-time to settle down and rest, he would talk about what happened over the past few days with Emilia. They hadn't had the time to sit down and chat about it, like a normal couple. No, they didn't have time for that. Even as they endured such devastating and draining events as they did, there still wasn't proper time to sit down and just talk. At least they had time to express things, _physically_.

Subaru felt a blush spread across his cheeks at his remembrance of such things.

Taking note of this, his partner in crime across the table eyed him carefully. She playfully smirked at him and sipped from her mead innocently, as if nothing in the world was bothering her.

She was almost just as conflicted as he was. All the anger she had felt towards those bandits who kidnapped her, who hurt Subaru. What she had done, it was all too much for her to comprehend now. It was because of that, she had almost blocked the event out entirely, forgetting about it for the moment. Even so, it was there at the back of her mind, nagging at her, as such things always did.

After a few mugs of mead and another bowl of soup, Subaru found himself dancing with the patrons of the bar. The music was festive and merry, and he just couldn't keep himself from joining in all of the fun. Well, to be honest, he didn't even realize how he became a part of this in the first place. All he knew is that he held Emilia tightly against him, her cheeks too, buzzed in a reddish hue, clearly under the influence of whatever they just drank. One step there, another here, it was all a blur.

He didn't even realize when her hood had fallen off and her pointy ears were exposed for all the world to see. Luckily enough for the pair, the merry patrons of the bar were too far drunk and preoccupied in the festivities to notice. And so, they danced, danced, and danced some more until the sun had long since set in the west and the moon rose to take its place.

Eventually the patrons of the tavern began to recede to the comfort of their beds, and with that, the dancing and merry games ceased. But the effects of the night had long since taken hold.

Emilia gave Subaru a wry smile, and he gave her somewhat of a wistful gaze. Her eyes were dilated, and inquisitive. Time passed slowly, the whole world was forgotten except for the single girl he kept so close to his heart. He didn't know where they went, or where they were going, but he didn't care. Somehow the two found themselves in a warm, low lit room. As they shut the door behind them, they stumbled to remove their clothes, and fumbled to the bed. To Subaru's surprise, by some god somewhere, they made it without falling to the floor.

The shock of the events which played out the night before were lost to them now, their lives nothing but a warm haze of love and happiness. He felt a burning sensation pull at him, beckoning to his heightened senses, or lack thereof. Emilia, ever the one to please, noticed this, and with all the allure of a goddess, she revealed herself to him.

Subaru hesitated, his mouth agape at the scenery of her silky-smooth alabaster skin. Ever so tantalizing to touch, and even more so to taste. He dragged his mouth across her collarbone, and to her neck, leaving small bites in his wake. She moaned and pressed against him in response.

At the top of the window, the moon spilt through brilliantly, illuminating their small room in a mystical cast of pale light. Her vibrant amethyst eyes were darker than he had ever seen them before. Her eyes spoke to him, and very clearly, he heard the forbidden words.

" _I want you_."

No part of him dared to protest the silent plea she gave him. No, and as he drew his hands over the smooth contours of her body, he could feel her shallow breath and the deepening flush which graced her pale skin. While he memorized her in the light of the moon, he tenderly touched her cheek with his palm.

She turned her face inward into his palm and kissed him, savoring his taste as she worked her way around his hand.

As she had done so, he removed the final remnants of her clothing and cupped her breast as they finally revealed themselves. She moaned and tore at his own clothing, her nails leaving marks across his skin as they glided over him with surgical precision.

She needed him, and he her, and soon she lay over him, naked and wanting, and he obliged her. She felt all of him, and they rocked against each other with all the rhythm of a clear blue stream. As he thrust into her, he felt her need, all her want. He could feel the sadness, the pain, the suffering, but they paled in comparison to her happiness, the vastness of her peace. This was the perfect moment. He reached out to touch her deeper, as far as he could…

She climaxed for the first time, and she whispered his name over and over into his ear like a forbidden mantra. The pleasure which pierced her mind silenced her thoughts, cleared her of all unwanted emotion. There was only Subaru, and no one else.

As she finished, Subaru began to pace himself quicker and quicker, and he began to lose himself in the pleasures of her sex. Soon enough, he felt his own climax. His was powerful, and a much-needed release into oblivion. His body went limp against her own, and she pulled him deep against her, as if she were never going to let go.

He heard her sweet singing voice whisper things into his ear, things that were forever lost to him, as all words and syllables of the world were now just a vague idea. He couldn't process anything tangible, but he could still hear her soft angelic voice which lulled him into a deep and emotional trance.

Slowly, she moved out from underneath him, his body still limp against her own. He did not fight back, nor did he try to keep her from going. He just lay there, not abashed, but lost to the world and its intricacies.

All he saw was Emilia, and as she drew circles on his back, and covered him in small kisses of love and comfort, his love for her grew tenfold. Soon, his eyes shut, and he rolled comfortably on his side. She cocooned herself against his unmoving body, caressing him with an everlasting love.

As he drifted in and out of sleep, he could hear her soft voice sing to him all throughout the night.


	4. Lock of Heaven, Key of Hell

**Lock of Heaven, Key of Hell**

 **. . .**

Subaru woke up gasping, clutching his chest and heaving over his blankets struggling to breath. Flailing throughout the bed, he felt as if his very life force was being choked away by something invisible.

It was a familiar feeling that he thought was gone forever.

Blackness. It's all he saw now. Soon enough he was in the depths of his own mind. In this desolate world he saw nothing, and even deeper within he saw shadows within the nothingness. It was vague, but he could trace the outline of something, hiding shyly behind a miasma of envy, love and despair. A small but unmistakable voice escaped through the chasm of nothingness, reaching his deafened ears.

"… I love you."

It was staggered and faint, but clear enough to understand.

"Why... did you separate from me? Why did you abandon me? Why did you run from me?"

The familiar voice echoed throughout the black corridors of the invisible walls which seemingly surround him. Her voice was a mixture of emotions, both sad and apologetic, but he could feel a tinge of anger, or distrust emanating from them.

"Why did you hide from me? Why… why… why… why... why… why… why… why… why… I want you. Don't you want me? Aren't I enough? Haven't I done enough? Is this enough? Is it… enough."

The words became more tormented and twisted as they spilled from the shadow. In this world there was no semblance of direction, time, or anything Subaru could identify. It was a world deeper inside him than his own subconscious, locked away from all interference from the rest of existence.

He floated toward the soft chime which beckoned him like only one other person could. It was a voice that was both foreign and as familiar as his own. It could be no one else.

"Emilia?" he questioned the sea of black. Nothing was given in return.

Abruptly, something gripped his throat. It was that welcoming suffocating feeling that he received every time he threatened to break the rules of his return by death. It tightened further, forcing his eyes to roll back into his head. With death knocking, he grasped the invisible arms sucking the life from his body. He tried to peel the fingers from his throat, but it was no use as they were of immeasurable strength. The vessels in his eyes finally popped from the stress, painting his eyes a blood red. Madly, he kicked, flailing helplessly as he began to lose consciousness.

"…Stop… please…" he managed to choke out in a panicked, desperate shriek.

The grip loosened, and the silhouette behind the shadow slowly came into view, revealing herself to him. His bloodshot eyes widened, and he sucked in a vital breath of air no sooner before gasping it out in shock.

A thin woman who appeared no older than he exposed herself. Her dress which malformed from the blanketing shadows surrounding them pulsated around her. It reminded him of the beating of a heart, one stricken or pained from loss. Silver flowing hair dangled just beneath her shoulders. Solemn tears dripped steadily from her amethyst eyes. Her glowing pale skin contrasted so heavily with the pitch black that it threatened to blind him. Even so, as she was moments ago threatening to strangle his life away, her plush cheeks were painted with a rosy red color. Her blush signified she was either shy, anxious or embarrassed, something unimaginable to say the least.

Yes, this unique, unquestionable face of beauty belonged to one person dear to him and one person alone. It was that of the girl whom he depended on so dearly, the one whom he made love to just hours prior. Yet, something was different about her. Her face bore an expression so dismal and filled with sadness that it rivalled even his darkest moments. Gone was the cheery face of the one he held so close to his heart, replaced by someone who had clearly been through much despair.

"My name is Satella."

Her pure voice rung throughout his head, pulling him back to a moment long past.

They were standing on the balcony overlooking the slums of Lugnica. She dangled playfully over the railing, her hair flowing gracefully in the steady wind. She effortlessly painted the skyline with her beauty. Without her, this moment would be nothing. With her, any moment was of such consequence that he could remember every detail down to the cracks in the bricks beneath them. As he stood there silently, all he could think about was her intoxicating potent smell of jasmine, and the sheer impossibility of her loveliness. He spoke his request, and she turned to him slowly.

"I'm… Satella." she said it with no recognizable emotion, and mild hesitation.

Her spirit cat hovered quietly over her shoulder, watching her movements closely.

Suddenly, the Lugnica skyline warped harshly, and twisted into darkness. His eyes opened, and he again stood face to face with the reason of his existence.

Her piercing emerald pupils bore deep into his own bloodied eyes. She was only inches from him now. He could smell the heady scent of rich jasmine, something he had become quite accustomed to. She was as alluring and tantalizing as ever, something he could just reach out and touch without a moments thought.

She reached out one frail hand to finally touch him. After all this time, one touch is all she ever wanted. He flinched as her fingers brushed gently over his cheek. They were cold and clammy, probably from something akin to nervousness, or fright.

Was she afraid of him?

 _Don't be afraid_ , he thought.

He reached up and brushed his own hand over her own, squeezing it with both care and comfort. Her soft eyes burst wide open, as tears began to brim the corners, threatening to fall without a moment notice. Without warning she pulled back, and with great worry he reached out to her, but he was too late.

He heard a deafening sound, and he was wrenched from the depths of the darkness within his own mind.

Subaru shot up from his bed, beads of sweat brimming his forehead. Panicked, he looked around the cabin, gasping for breath. He was alone. Shakily, his hand reached up to touch his cheek, where her little hand had just rested seconds ago. It was still warm from the close contact.

The spot next to him where his lover lay was cold, and empty. It was unusual for her to leave his side, especially as he slept. It was still dusk outside, probably just before sunrise.

Subaru dressed himself, stood and walked over to the desk where Emilia's belongings lay just the night before. Of course, they were gone, and with no explanation or a letter to write why or where she had fled to.

Suddenly, Subaru could hear the rusted door knob jiggle behind him. He turned to face it as the door slowly propped itself open, revealing the girl of his worry.

Emilia looked at him with surprise, as if she had been caught in some sort of act. Unusually, she was dressed in her original white garb, along with her magical pointy eared cloak. Her eyes blinked at him inquisitively, wondering if he would speak. Her large amethyst eyes were a deep purple color, and just so, so beautiful.

 _Never mind that,_ he thought to himself. Sometimes it was a struggle to think clearly and consistently regarding her.

"Emilia," he walked over to her and held the door for her. "What are you doing out so early in the morning? I was worried for a moment… uh… Are you—"

"I was just out for a walk." she spoke curtly as she cut him off. She walked inside with soft footsteps and past him. "Last night I was feeling uncomfortable for some reason. So, I went out to talk with the lesser-spirits. Normally I communicated with them every day… and it has been almost four days since my last meeting with them. They had… a lot to tell me"

Subaru kept quiet. Her voice was soft and unsure, like she had done something wrong. She hadn't, to be sure. She looked at him plainly now, her doe eyes wide but filled with caution. Slowly, he reached out his hand to touch hers—

"-GAAAAAAAAAAH."

His blood curdling screams jolted Emilia from her haze. She jumped back as he fell chaotically to the ground, unsure of what to do. He was flailing wildly on the ground, seemingly assailed by something invisible.

"Subaru!"

She rushed over and knelt beside him. "Subaru, please what is it? Please tell me what's wrong!"

He was pale as snow, heaving and unable to speak from the amount of pain he was experiencing. It felt as if his heart was being squashed between two powerful hands. Suddenly the pressure released itself, and the world came back into focus.

He shot up and crawled over to the corner of the room, hiding his pained face from Emilia. She stared at him with confusion. The shock on her face was easy for anyone to see.

"—E-Emilia…" he coughed as his mouth filled with the taste of blood. "Stay away from me… please. Just… get away now!

While breathing haggardly, he hoisted himself up, tripped over his own feet in a hurry and raced madly out the door without any explanation or recourse for the silver-haired half elf.

She just watched him leave without any interference. As the door hung open, other patrons of the inn stood outside, wondering what all the fuss was about. They talked curiously amongst themselves, paying no attention to the small, frail girl left alone in the room.

Splayed out, she rested on her knees, shaking from the unexpectedness of it all. Hot tears streamed steadily down her cheeks, with no sign of ending.

"Subaru…" she cried. Now she was sobbing uncontrollably, and with nobody to comfort her.

"Please come back…"

There was no response.

"Don't leave me…"

"I have no one else."

"… Subaru?"

"You promised you wouldn't leave me. Ever."

"…"

"… Subaru, you liar."

. . .

Subaru fell on his hands and knees. Gasping for breath he stared at his barely visible reflection in the murky puddle beneath him. He looked like death, or something close to it. His eyes had sagging dark bags underneath them, and his face appeared as if it had aged considerably. He gave out and splashed down on his back, his chest rising and falling with a staggered lurch. His pained heart beat profusely, as if it were about to bust through his ribcage.

"Gahhh…" he tried to slow his breathing, but it had little effect.

Rolling over onto his side and propping himself up, Subaru looked around him. He had run as far as he could, straight through the forest where they came from. He had one destination in mind, a place where he had to get to, even if it meant his life. He didn't know why he wanted to go back there, but he just felt like he needed to. So, on he marched quietly, through crooks and crags, rivers and woods, he just kept walking himself to death. It was as if he wanted to die anyway, so that would only be a plus. He understood his death was inevitable, as this world he had so recently arrived in has given him nothing but death, except for the sweet nothing at the end of it all. Now, he couldn't even be close to the last person who mattered to him in this evil world. All that was left was memories, fading memories of people who had met their bloody death before himself.

No, that was wrong. He had died a thousand times before, what more was one last time? Their memories weren't fading either. He was lying to himself if he said that. Their faces were burned into his mind unlike anything else. Their bloodied corpses, and the death rattles they let out in their final moments. He could remember every detail which was burnt so deeply into his mind. Petra… Frederica… Beatrice…and—

He ceased his movements as his eyes widened in sorrow. He fell quietly to his knees as moonlight shone through two hazy clouds overhead.

In front of him was the courtyard of Roswaal's now empty mansion. A place of his nightmares, and of his dreams. He could remember every wonderful moment spent here with Emilia, with Rem, Ram, everyone. He could also remember every painful death he had experienced here, every horrid nightmare he had experienced here. As he looked around he noticed the normal lush green color of the courtyard was a dull brown, a sign that the area had once been frozen over. Perhaps it was from the wicked magister's ice storm, perhaps not.

He could feel a cold chill overtake his body as he remembered what catastrophe occurred here. In the left center of the vast courtyard lay two makeshift grave-markers, whose final resting place was that of Petra and Frederica. He had buried them after Elsa murdered them. That assassin was no doubt still alive, as she had let him live just for him to exist in this tormented world forever.

He slowly crept up to the graves and stared down at them blankly. He was silent, unmoving, so much though that it was inhuman. He dared not make a sound. He just walked past the graves and into the main entrance of the mansion. He knew what he had to do now.

He pushed open the main doorway. Empty, just like the rest of his world. It was eerie how still the mansion was, so vast as it was, yet so empty and alone. It was the perfect allegory for Subaru's life, its lifelessness and emptiness rivaling even his own.

He withdrew his sword from his sheath, it's blade glimmering under the moon's glowing illumination. It was a fine blade indeed, sharp enough to cut through any material. Sharp enough to cut through his own flesh like a hot knife slicing its way through butter.

He knelt to one knee and placed the pommel of the blade against the ground. It pointed directly at his throat. It inched closer, and closer, until he could feel it hovering close enough to make his forehead sweat.

Once before he had done something like this… for someone close to him. Now, it was for entirely different reasons.

He closed his eyes, swallowed his fear, took a deep breath and—

"Subaru!"

The blade clattered to the ground, rattling and sending piercing echoes throughout the endless corridors of the mansion. It finally rested, and with it came a silence unlike any other.

He wouldn't move, not even the slightest. His tongue was caught in his throat, and his mouth dried up so fast he didn't think he could ever speak. He just knelt there, as the pitter patter of gentle footsteps came closer, and closer to him.

He couldn't turn around… he couldn't face her. Not now, at the end. He knew his betrayal ran deeper than she could ever understand. After all, he had betrayed himself more than anyone. He wasn't a hero, he was a coward. A spineless, weak, pathetic coward, one who ran away from his problems instead of facing them. With his back against a wall, he had finally given up, completely, and utterly.

The footsteps ceased.

"…"

"Subaru…" it was almost a whimper. "I… I…"

Her voice faltered. She was as unable to speak as he. Both of their inadequacies matched each other perfectly right now. The irony of it all. Though, it was in these inadequacies that they found solace in each other. In all their imperfections, they could find perfection.

"You… shouldn't have followed me." Subaru spoke so quiet it was almost inaudible. "—Why?"

"You are a liar, Subaru."

It came out quickly, like she couldn't control her voice. "You said you would never leave me."

Subaru's body jerked violently in reaction to these words. It pained him to the core, the very center of his being. It tore him apart to hear her say that. He didn't want to be here right now. He wanted to be dead.

"It's not my fault…" he buried his face in his hands as he spoke darkly. "I swear, it's not my fault…"

His voice dropped to a volume that reached no human, nor half-elf ears.

"—It's the you inside of me."

She stood behind him, her glistening amethyst eyes brimming with tears.

"I swear, I can't do this anymore." he was speaking to nobody but himself.

His voice rose with every syllable until it was almost a shout. "I can't go on. —And if I can't be with you, I don't want to breathe anymore!"

His hand reached for the sword on the ground. He heard a panicked shriek behind him. As he clasped it, another hand contacted his own, pinning it to the ground. The intruders other arm wrapped possessively around him, pulling him tightly against her soft chest.

"No!" she begged. It was a plea for his life. "Please, no! Please don't leave me! I need you! I don't want to be alone. Don't leave me behind. Stay with me!"

Her vice-like grip around him tightened, and he gave up struggling against her will. He couldn't fight with her. Anyone but her. Suddenly, her demeanor did a complete turn into the opposite direction. He could feel her hot breathe breathing softly on the back of his neck. He could smell her sweet succulent smell that was unlike anything he had ever smelt before. Quickly, he was becoming ever so intoxicated, under her spell yet again.

"Come here, my love." she whispered into his ear, nuzzling him with her rosy cheek.

"My lovely Subaru… touch me like you touched me the night before. I will let you touch me anytime… anywhere, my body is yours."

Subaru let out an unexpected sigh of relief. Something wonderful was calming him, and it felt like magic. He knew what this was. It was her magic, the magic he felt every time he looked at her—but... something was different this time.

"I'm so happy when I'm with you, Subaru. Remember when you came to see me in the tomb? I was so tired from attempting the trial, and then you came to see me. I told you the truth then. I am so scared without you, I absolutely _must_ have you. I need you more than _anything_."

Her voice was so full of emotion. But just like that one fateful night, her words still felt hollow for some reason, as if they weren't her own. So, who's were they?

By this point, she had pressed her entire body against his. She gripped his hand and led it to the top of her hair. Subaru did not fight back or struggle.

"Don't you love touching my hair, Subaru?" she giggled as she asked him. "You can touch me anytime now, I promise."

By now she was stroking her hair with his own hand. He was lifeless in her arms, almost like a ragdoll. For some reason, he just couldn't move.

She kept whispering her sweet nothings into his ear, and he kept listening to her silently. Nothing she said was really ringing any bells within him.

Maybe, just maybe, Emilia was worse off than he thought. Maybe, she needed more real comfort than even himself. All this time he had been worried about himself, selfish as he always was. He hadn't changed, and this cruel world he was stuck in didn't make his selfish desires any less apparent. He had to fix this, somehow, even if it risked his own life interacting with her.

"Emilia…" he whispered. She didn't notice.

"Hey, Subaru. We are all alone now. Nobody else is here. It's just you and me, remember? Puck isn't here anymore… Roswaal isn't here anymore… Rem and Ram, they are gone too. I'm yours now."

"…"

"That's enough, Emilia."

"—And the royal selection. You don't have to worry about that too, remember? We can just run away from Lugnica. Away from all the danger. We can have our own adventures, just you and me. You can take care of me like you always wanted to! You have my full attention now, Subaru…"

"I said that's enough…" he shut his eyes and tightened his grip on her hand, but she was in her own world.

"Don't you want to take care of me? I want you to save me, like you saved me before time after time. Just don't get hurt okay? We've been hurt enough. It's time for us to relax, and forget about all the hurt..."

 _Make Lia stop, Subaru. Please…_

"I SAID ENOUGH!"

His rage snapped Emilia from whatever self-induced trance she had been locked away in. She shuttered at the cruelty of his voice and cowered away from him, but she couldn't get far. His grip on her was too strong for her to overcome. Every time she tried to pull away, he jerked her to make sure she wouldn't escape.

"—You're hurting me… Subaru, why?"

He blinked his eyes at the small and frail girl who lay before him. Tears were threatening to fall from her beautiful amethyst eyes any moment now. She appeared frightened of him. Of all people, she was fearful of him. He let go of her and stared blankly past her, unable to keep eye contact any longer. Turning his head away he uttered quietly to himself.

"I'm despicable."

She was clearly taken aback at Subaru's words and actions. Of course, she wasn't entirely in the right state of mind either. Even still, this girl, afraid and alone in this world just as much as he, had given herself completely to him, both physically and emotionally. He had misunderstood it. To be sure, it was something he couldn't quite completely fathom. Before, he mistook her obsessiveness over him to be something other than her own normal self. It was a state of mind orchestrated by that evil magicians' manipulations. He told himself that, to rationalize it. He didn't believe anyone could love him like that. He remembered Rem's declaration of love to himself, a moment etched to his very soul. It was eerily similar. It represented a love that he could not completely understand, and so it made him afraid, fearful even.

This time he wouldn't make that same mistake.

They were both crying now. How it became so routine for them to cry in some way shape or form. He was tired of crying, as was she. It was a symptom of something far more distressing than just sadness. The feeling of sadness was becoming dull, like a rusted blade left out to rot in the rain and sun.

He picked up her weightless body and carried her up the main staircase. She did not struggle, nor did she make a sound other than a few whimpers as she wept. The signs of carnage which took place here remained, unchanging to the ravages of time. Subaru did his best to avoid the worst areas such as the dining room. He wouldn't go back there again. Interestingly, it had only been a few days since then. Even as he swore he would never return here, he found himself back in this wretched place once again.

Long would it be before the sun finally arose, and he knew of one room left untouched to the massacre which took place here.

Holding Emilia deftly in one arm, he maneuvered the jewel adorned doorknob with his hand that was free. Slowly the door crept open, revealing a master bedroom large enough and fit for a queen.

It was Emilia's old bedroom, locked away from the events which shook all which inhabited this very mansion.

He set her down carefully onto the well-acquainted bed. Moonlight cascaded through the large windows, filling the room with a hazy glow. Subaru reached under and brought the silk covers up over her in a small gesture of kindness. No doubt this one intricately designed room cost a small fortune, a sign of Roswaal's infinite wealth. It was no doubt fit for royalty.

Emilia was wordless as he continued his movements. By now the last of her tears had finally fallen, the shock of his rejection passing over her like leaves falling lazily from a tree. She blanketed him with a suspicious gaze in return for his efforts. Not even moments ago he was about to end his life, and his aggressive behavior was nothing short of surprising to her. Something was wrong with Subaru, but she didn't know what. There were many times before, when she could see the suffering written on his face, but all the still he could not tell her what was bothering him. Maybe, just maybe, she could finally get some answers.

As one of his tears fell somberly to her lap, gentle fingers wrapped around his own.

Emilia tilted her head at Subaru questioningly.

"Subaru?" her voice was soft, and full of worry. "Can you tell me what's wrong?"

He stared miserably at the tiny warm hand wrapped around his own lifeless, unmoving digits. He frowned and shook his head negatively.

She nudged her curious face closer to his, silently prodding him to speak up.

"No, I… I just can't." he buried his face in the palms of his hand. "Emilia, I'm so sorry. I won't ever leave you again, I promise…"

"It's just that…"

"That…"

"Something's wrong with—"

He hesitated before finishing the forbidden words.

"…"

The room got darker as if the moon was covered with a blanket, and the walls of the room closed slowly in on him, the air becoming thicker and more distasteful than it had been before.

" _You shouldn't do that, my love."_

As the passages of time had ceased, Subaru could see five shadowy arms reaching out from around him, until they finally rested around the silver-haired elf in front of him. Two hands clasped her throat, another her head, and the others held her arms down. Particles of gloom spilled over the soft contours of her body.

"No… Please." Subaru begged whatever lay behind the darkness. "Please just kill me instead…"

The hopeless and defeat of his voice gave credence to his resignation to the shadowy being which resided inside of him. The tryst between him and Emilia was beckoning to an end.

The hands tightened their grasp on her throat, suffocating her. Her mouth opened slightly in response to the applied pressure to her windpipe. Another hand pulled her head upwards slowly, abnormally stretching her neck. The others held her down against the bed. Soon her head would be pulled right off, and if not, surely, she would be throttled.

Rage spread across Subaru's face. Pure, blind rage. His brow furrowed, and his face warped into a snarl so fierce and bloodthirsty unlike any other.

"Sa… tell.. AAAAAAAAAAAAA—"

An extraordinary white light extended across the room and through the windows to the outside of the mansion. Its brilliance lit up the night sky which was otherwise completely dark.

Visages of darkness fled from the power and spilled outside, letting Emilia fall backwards onto the bed, free from harms way. She lay there unconscious, but otherwise unharmed.

Subaru centered himself away from his rage, and his eyes ceased their brilliant glow as he returned himself to the world at present.

Whatever magic which was pulling the passages of time back far enough to where water no longer flowed ceased to be. Time was flowing forward again. Subaru could see this to be the case because his teardrops were falling to her sleeping face and dripping steadily down her cheeks.

Both of his hands were clasped around Emilia's, and he had straddled her sleeping form unknowingly. He couldn't understand when and how he had arrived in this position, but it was no doubt better than what was just occurring moments before. He fell flatly onto her unconscious body, letting the close contact of the elf wash away all worry and anxiety from his being. He buried his face into the crook of her neck and shut his eyes.

He was tired, and faced with an immeasurable amount of emotions that no one should ever have to be concerned with. There was a time when he thought that somehow, he could find peace in this world where none could be found. Maybe that future was long since distant to the point of being unreachable. The latitudes he was faced with when deciding his fate in this world were next to nothing. Ever since he found himself here, his destiny had been shaped by something otherworldly and ungodly, resurrecting him over and over until the pathway he had chosen was that of someone not his own. If he couldn't be allowed to make his own decisions, then he would rather not exist at all.

He let out a sigh fuller and deeper than any ever before. It was a sigh which echoed a promise he had made to himself. A promise to take control of his life, to shape his destiny, and to write his own story. It was a story in which he yearned for an ending exuberating in happiness.

Possibly, just possibly, he could find that ending.

He smiled softly to himself and muttered something about the sleeping girl resting so carelessly underneath him. Her undying declarations of love to him, thrice he had received them. The first time he scoffed at her, tossing away the possibility that those words could ever be hers. He feared such love. He feared what he did not understand. By now he finally understood her love for him.

"Nhhhng."

Subaru shivered, and he cuddled closer to the girl underneath him. He cracked open one eye, wondering why the temperature of the room had dropped so suddenly.

There he saw something he wouldn't ever have expected. There, nestled beside the two of them, was a small gray cat he had come to know very well.

His folded left ear twitched as he narrowed his sapphire jeweled eyes at Subaru who otherwise stared at him in shock.

"P-P-P-P-Puck!"

The little cat raised one of his paws to his mouth, imitating a "shhhh" to Subaru. One of his eyes closed in a cheeky wink.

"Don't wake Lia." he pointed his other paw teasingly at the sleeping girl Subaru now so awkwardly laid upon.

"She's been through a lot, so you should just let her sleep."

"…How long have you been with us?" Subaru asked the Great Spirit. "I remember, at the burning village. I saw you..."

"Ah, yes. Although, I was weaker then than now. Now I can retain my physical shape once more, but only for… a little bit."

The cat slowed his speech and let out a slow, sleepy yawn that made even Subaru want to take a nap.

"But why? Why did you vanish?"

"Because I had to. If I didn't break my contract with Lia… she would have never succeeded in the trial. But it looks like that wasn't necessary, now was it?"

The cat unceremoniously floated up and rested on Subaru's shoulder. He gave him a nudge with his paw.

"Thanks to you, Lia was able to survive what happened, and now, she has something she has never had before."

"What do you mean?" Subaru said.

"True love." He spoke carefully. "A love not for that of a parent, but that of a romance. It is something I could never give Lia, and she understood. It was painful for me to let her go, but I had to, you see. To give her something greater than myself. To give her a real reason to keep on living, for wishes other than those that aren't her own."

Subaru only nodded in understanding. Puck was giving him his blessing, and for that, he was innumerably thankful. He would not waste it, he promised silently to himself.

"Thank you…"

It was a short and curt statement. What else could he possibly say?

"Don't thank me, Subaru! I wouldn't have chosen you if I didn't think you weren't the one. When Lia has nightmares, I expect you to be the one to calm her. When Lia is lonely, I fully expect you to be the one to hold her hand. It's up to you now, you know?"

"…"

"I know."

Puck smiled and bared his teeth at him.

"Good! —Because if you don't."

He drew his paw across his throat in a threatening manner.

Subaru's eyes exploded, reminiscing of his past deaths at the hands of this playful cat. He shook his hands in dismissal and waved him off.

"No, you don't have to tell me that," Subaru's eyes were determined. "I know now what I have to do."

"Well…" the cat yawned again, signifying it was probably time for bed for both cats and humans…and elves.

Puck's eyes narrowed to slits.

"Let's get some sleep, now that the witch is gone and everything. Right Subaru?"

Subaru's breath caught in his throat. Sweat beaded between the creases of his forehead. Suddenly, the cool air emanating from the cat rescinded to a level of heat which burnt into his skin.

Subaru opened his mouth to speak, his voice a stuttering mess.

"…What… did you just… say?"

The cat rest itself on the bed, curling up into a small ball of fuzz.

"I said we should sleep. That would be the intelligent thing to do, before we wake Lia."

"No… before that."

It was useless, because the cat was now fast asleep, and fading quicker than he wanted. He knew. He knew his secret. Only one other person knew, and suspected, but even that person did not know why or how.

No, Puck knew it all.

He lay there the rest of the night, eyes wide open, and unable to sleep.


End file.
